Out of Control
by Boyfrom0z
Summary: After 6 months on tour in the US, Shuichi can't wait to see Yuki. But why didn't Yuki meet his lover at the airport? And who is his sexy new female "friend?" Yuki/Shuichi/Hiro? yaoi hence the rating.
1. Chapter 1

**Guess what? I don't own Gravitation!**

--

Shuichi Shindou could not wait to get off the plane. The flight _to_ America had been bad enough, knowing that he wouldn't be back in Japan with Yuki for nearly six months. Now, he was only hours away form his lover's arms and it was driving him absolutely crazy. He kept getting up and walking up and down the aisle until Hiro final grabbed him and pulled him back into his seat.

"Shuichi!" he hissed, trying his best to be discreet. "We are rock stars. We are flying first class. Enjoy the seats before you get fired for being the most annoying person ever."

Shuichi glowered at his friend and said nothing.

"I know you're antsy, but you're not going to make the plane fly faster. Okay?"

"Okay," he muttered sulkily.

Hiro glanced over at K who was stretched out two seats away on the other side of Suguru and taking full advantage of the first class arrangement.

"K-san!" he whispered.

"Huh?" said K who had been asleep. "What is it? Is Shindou-kun trying to jump out the plane?"

"Practically," Hiro replied. "Tell me you heard back from Yuki and he's meeting us at the airport."

"No, I haven't," K said in a hushed voice so Shuichi wouldn't hear. "He knows when we're getting back though, so hopefully he'll be there." He looked worried.

"Would you guys shut up?" groaned Suguru as he woke up.

"We could switch seats," said Hiro testily, "and _you_ could sit next to Shuichi."

"Uh," said Suguru and he fumbled for his ipod to turn up the volume and drown out K and Hiro's whispered discussion.

"Shuichi's gunna flip if he's not there," Hiro said.

"I know, but I'm sure Eiri knows that I'll shoot him if he doesn't show," said K with a smile as he reached for his gun holster.

"K! You did _not_ get those on the plane did you?"

K pulled back his jacket to reveal the empty holsters.

"Checked 'em."

"Wake me up when you can see Tokyo," said Hiro with a sigh as he nestled into his seat.

"Hiro?" said Shuichi.

"What?" he asked coldly without opening his eyes.

"Do you think Yuki will meet us at the airport?" The worry that was bordering on fear in his voice was enough to make Hiro open his eyes and sit up.

"I'm sure he'll come," he assured his friend. "He loves you right?"

"Yeah," said Shuichi with no confidence what so ever in his voice. "But I've been gone for so long."

"The tour was a huge success. He'll be proud of you. Anyway, it's not like _he_ hasn't flown off to America. At least you told him you were going."

"Don't talk about Yuki like that!" cried Shuichi. "He had to go!"

"So did you," said Hiro in an end-of-discussion sort of voice.

Shuichi sighed and went back to staring glumly out of the window at the blankness that surrounded the plane. Hiro went back to sleep. It seemed like only a few minutes later that Shuichi was poking him awake.

"_What_, Shuichi?" he demanded.

"Look," said the pink-haired singer, pointing out of the window.

Hiro leaned around him and saw the brilliant lights of Tokyo after nightfall.

"At last," he sighed. It was good to be home.


	2. Chapter 2

Bad Luck, along with its mangier and producer, was greeted by hordes of fans and reporters in the airport, but Shuichi's violet eyes searched the crowd for one face and one face alone.

"Come on, Shuichi," muttered Hiro trying to pretend he didn't see the devastation in his friend's eyes. "They're gunna get our bags for us. All we have to do is smile for the fangirls and get in the car." He placed a hand on Shuichi's shoulder and steered him through the crowd smiling and waving to their fans, occasionally glancing back to make sure they still had Suguru in tow.

Once they were safely inside the large, black care N-G had sent to pick them up, both Hiro and Shuichi's forced smiles feel. Suguru seemed to have genuinely enjoyed the wave of Japanese fandom and still looked absently mindedly happy.

"He didn't come," Shuichi whispered.

"There were a lot of people there, Shuichi," said Hiro gently.

"I would have seen him!"

"That's not what I'm saying. I mean that he would have had a hard time getting to you with all those girls in the way and he's famous too. It would have only made the mob scene worse if he'd be there." He squeezed Shuichi's shoulder in a comforting way. Hiro knew his words were utterly wasted, but he had to try.

"Are we going back to N-G now?" Shuichi asked in a dead voice.

"You can go wherever you want," said K in an uncharacteristically serious voice, shooting Hiro a worried glance. "Seguchi-san said you guys don't have to go until day after tomorrow 'cause he can't stand jet-lagged people." K forced a laugh.

"Can I go home, I mean, to Yuki's apartment?" Shuichi blushed.

"Of course," said Hiro.

They rode in silence until the car pulled up in front of Eiri Yuki's apartment building. Suguru didn't even complain when they drove right past the road to his apartment.

Shuichi quickly bid the other goodnight and jumped out of the car.

"Do you want stuff?" called Hiro.

"I'll get it later," he called back.

Shuichi swallowed as he walked slowly up to the keypad by the door. He stopped in front of it and glanced up to see the car was still there. He waved at his friends and the car pulled away. He looked back at the buttons and took a deep breath. He bit his lip and pushed the key that was call up to his lover's apartment.

He waited.

"Hello?" said a very sexy and feminine voice that was certainly not Eiri Yuki's.

Shuichi's head reeled and it took him a moment to comprehend the word.

"Hello?" asked the voice again.

"Uh, hello?" Shuichi croaked, his throat too dry to make much sound. He gulped. "Is Yuki there?"

"He's a bit _busy_ at the moment. Could you maybe come back later?"

_Please let it be a deadline,_ Shuichi thought.

"Uh, could I talk to him?"

"I'll ask." She didn't sound very enthusiastic. "Eiri?" Shuichi heard her call. "Eiri? There's some kid out there that wants to talk to you!"

_Some kid?_

"He's coming," she said in a voice that did not approve of Yuki's decision.

Shuichi's heart leapt.

"What?" came Yuki's cold, annoyed, and oh so beautiful voice.

"Yuki!" gasped Shuichi, too elated to even shout the word.

"Shuichi?" asked Yuki, totally taken aback.

"Yeah! I just got back like an hour ago!"

"Oh."

"Can I come up?"

Yuki sighed. "Damn brat."

_Same old Yuki,_ he thought. He'd missed hearing his "pet name."

"I guess."

Shuichi waited impatiently for the door to open and he practically flew up the stairs, far too eager to wait for the elevator. He burst through the apartment door, ready to fling himself at Yuki, and stopped dead.

Everything was more or less the same as far as the apartment was concerned. It was the people that had frozen the singer.

Eiri Yuki was still standing by the buzzer looking like someone had run over his dog. His laptop sat abandoned on the sofa beside a woman who had to be the owner of the first voice Shuichi had heard. She was tall and thin with jet-black hair that fell to her waist in one, straight sheet and she was drop-dead gorgeous. She stood up as Shuichi banged the door open and he saw that she was wearing nothing but blood red, extremely lacy lingerie. She stared at Shuichi and he stared at her and then he slowly swiveled his gaze back to the blond man whose face was composed once more and show no sign of the momentary devastation.

"Yuki," Shuichi breathed as he felt his heart shatter into a million, bleeding pieces.


	3. Chapter 3

The writer closed his eyes for a moment as if he could will the situation away. Then he pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against and walked over to Shuichi. He stood awkwardly before the pink-haired singer. Had they been alone, Shuichi would have flung his arms around Yuki and probably ended up knocking him to the floor, but now he stayed rooted to the spot.

"Shuichi," said Yuki after a moment of internal struggle.

"Yuki, no," Shuichi whispered, all the agony in his heart showing on his face.

The woman walked slowly over to where the two men were standing and wrapped a possessive arm around Yuki's waist.

"Who's your friend, Eiri?" she purred as if daring Shuichi to try and prove himself to be anything else.

"This is Shuichi Shindou," said Yuki in an oddly formal voice.

"Of course! The famous Shuichi Shindou of Bad Luck," she said with a smile that did not touch her eyes.

"Shuichi, this is Yūko, my," he swallowed, "my fiancée."

Yūko smiled.

Shuichi blanched. Mouth slightly open in horror, he tried to process what Yuki had just said. Once it had sunk in, he floundered for an appropriate reaction. Bursting into tears was appealing, but wrong somehow. Smiling and say "how nice" was utterly out of the question, but there was a million other things he could do. It took nearly a full minute for Shuichi's brain to kick in and for him to form a reaction.

His slack face suddenly hardened, his open mouth pressing into a line, his brows pulling into a glare, his eyes raking up and down Yūko's form.

"You know _Eiri-san_," he said spitefully, "it's sad to see your taste is going downhill. Usami-san was such a nice girl." With that, he spun round on his heel and fled the apartment, tears bursting their bounds and sobs choking his breathing as he ran.

"Shuichi!" Yuki called, moving to chase after him.

"He's just jealous," said Yūko, taking a firmer grip on his side and preventing him from leaving. "Let him get it out of his system." She closed the door and began steering Yuki back to the couch and his waiting novel-to-be.

--

**Sorry that was so short, but it was a good place to break between chapters.**


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Shuichi was out of the building, he was completely blinded by tears, yet he kept running. Afterwards, he would have no idea how he achieved the rather impressive feet of getting somewhere in Tokyo basically blind and after being away for nearly half a year, but he did. Shuichi found himself in the park where he'd first seen Yuki. He collapsed onto a bench and sobbed. What else could he do?

Yuki had found a hot woman and was going to marry her. It had fallen through last time only because Usami had wanted Yuki to be happy and she had understood that he would not be happy married, but this woman did not seem like that type. She was the type to sit around in red lingerie, not to type to call of her wedding to a famous romance novelist so that he could be happy with his male lover.

_Lover! Ha, looks like that was a joke,_ Shuichi thought miserably.

He felt something against his leg. He looked down and saw that the wind had blown a piece of paper against him and it had caught around his ankle. For a fleeting second he expected it to somehow be his own lyrics, but, as he bent down to retrieve it, he saw it was a page out of a sleazy gossip magazine. He smoothed the page out and read the scrap of an article by the flickering light of a streetlamp.

_Has Eiri Yuki Had Enough Boys Love?_

_Heartthrob romance novelist Eiri Yuki who, nearly a year ago, admitted to being the lover of Shuichi Shindou, lead singer of pop band Bad Luck, has become engaged to heiress Yūko Hozuki. Although, Eiri made no formal announcement, the Hozuki family made the engagement quite clear to the media. "I couldn't be happier," said Yūko in an interview. Of course, it's very convenient for Yūko that Shuichi is on a six-month tour of America with his band and therefore is unable to enforce any claim he may still have on Eiri. It was not made clear whose idea the engagement was and Eiri was "unenviable" to discuss the subject with our reporters. Eiri was engaged once before to a woman whose name was never disclosed, but the wedding fell through last-minute. One wonders who called it off. One also wonders what Shuichi's reaction will be upon his return to Japan, but there's no way the news will go over well, unless the two "lovers" had a fight before Shuichi's departure. It has been observed that Shuichi was the more enthusiastic in the relationship so perhaps Eiri has just gotten fed up with him and is looking for a way out or maybe he truly loves Yūko. Whatever the reason for the sudden engagement, there is sure to be a scandal when Shuichi arrives home in just a few weeks. We tried talked to Tohma Seguchi, president of N-G with whom Bad Luck is signed, but he declined to comment only saying, "I consider Eiri-san to family and I just want him to be happy." Tohma's wife, Mika, is Eiri's sister and_

Here the page was torn and Shuichi could read no more.

_So all of Japan had known about Yuki's engagement to that woman for weeks except for me?_

Shuichi skimmed the article again. Tohma's words caught his eyes.

"I just want him to be happy."

It had been Tohma's idea that they go on the tour in the first place. It had been Tohma who had sent him out of Japan and away from Yuki. It had been Tohma who had gotten rid of Shuichi and given that woman an opening. Shuichi knew Tohma wanted him out of Yuki's life and it was just way too much of a coincidence. This had to be Tohma's doing.

Shuichi was about to get up to go kill Tohma when he realized just how pointless it was. _He_ just wanted Yuki to be happy too. And if he was... that was all that mattered.


	5. Chapter 5

Shuichi sat on the bench for a long time staring out over the lights of the city and paying no mind to how late and cold it was getting. In fact, it was nearly three o'clock in the morning (though Shuichi had no idea) when he heard a voice floating through the darkness.

"I thought I'd find you here." There was something like a sad smile in the voice, bitterness mixed with pity.

Shuichi did not even look round. He knew that voice by heart. It was coming from just outside of the circle of lamplight he was sitting in.

"What are you doing here?" Shuichi asked hollowly. "What do you want?"

"I'm here because I knew you'd be here," he said as he stepped into the light to stand by the opposite end of the bench. "Surely you know what I want."

"To tell me it's Okay when it's not." Shuichi tried to make it sound like a joke, but he couldn't.

"Shuichi," said Hiro with a sigh. "I'm really sorry." He step nearer to his friend and took the magazine page from Shuichi's hand. "If I'd known it was true..."

"You knew!" shouted Shuichi jumping to his feet and glaring death at Hiro. "You knew? You knew all this time and you didn't tell me?"

"No, Shuichi, please! Tohma called K and was acting all smug," Hiro began.

"Tohma," Shuichi spat. "I thought so."

"Would you please listen? Tohma called K to see how the tour was going and everything. He didn't come out and say what had happened, but he hinted that something was up with Yuki. K told me because he was worried. I figured it was just Tohma being his twisted little self and so I didn't tell you because I knew it'd just upset you and I thought I'd just be worrying you for no good reason. I'm so sorry." He sighed again, shaking his head.

"Hiro." The pink-haired singer swallowed, trying to make his voice function. "Hiro, I thought he really loved me. I thought he really cared."

"I know," said Hiro as he sat down with Shuichi on the bench. "And I know it doesn't help much to say this, but I seriously doubt that this was his idea, you know? He didn't wanna marry Ayakaso maybe it's the same thing now, maybe it's just his family."

"There's no way that woman's gunna let him back out it even if he doesn't want to marry her," said Shuichi, his throat tight. "You should have seen her!" He began to tell Hiro everything that had happened since they'd parted. "And he only looked sorry for a minute," he said again when he'd finished. "Why would he do this to me? _How_ could he do this to me?"

"I don't know. I really don't know." Hiro gazed at his friend's face. It was tortured with agony and he wanted nothing more than to wash that pain away. Tomorrow, Eiri Yuki was going to pay from making Shuichi, _his_ Shuichi, look like that. "Shuichi," Hiro whispered.

He turned his sad eyes to his friend.

Hiro wanted to say, "forget him," but it came out "forgive me."

"It's not your fault," said Shuichi in a dead voice.

"I should have told you."

"It would have ruined the tour."

There was no arguing with that. The two sat in silence for a long time, watching the lights of the city. Hiro listened as Shuichi lost and regained control over his tears. Finally, he had to speak.

"Shuichi, maybe you should just-," he began in a rush.

"Just what?" Shuichi cut in. "Just forget him? How can I? I love him! I love him more than anything else in the world. I'd do anything for him. I'd die for him!" He stopped to gasp for air through the tears he was struggling to suppress. "But apparently I don't matter to him. How can I just forget that?"

Shuichi was too blinded by tears to see the pain in his friend's eyes at his words.

"There has to be something, some_one_, else you care about," he said in a broken voice.

"I guess, but not the way I care about him."

Again, there was nothing to be said and again they gazed out over the lights of the city for several minutes.

I_ could be everything you want _him_ to be,_ thought Hiro, the words twisted with pain even in his head. I_'d do anything for you; _I_'d die for you. Why are you so blinded by him? I'm everything you want! I'm everything he isn't. How can you want him after everything he's done to you? He's not god for you. I'm perfect for you. Why can't you see that? Why can't you see that-_

"I love you, Shuichi." Hiro finished his thought aloud.

Shuichi slowly turned his head to stare at Hiro, too stunned to speak.

--

**Thanks to DarkMetalAngel of Destruction for the idea of having someone else after Shuichi's heart. I'm not really a fan of Shuichi/Hiro, but I thought it would make the story more interesting. Hope you think so too!**


	6. Chapter 6

Hiro felt his face go red as the violet locked on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said almost at once. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He said it in a rush as if by getting the new words out fast enough he could cover up the old ones.

Shuichi blinked.

"I know," he said at last, his voice still broken from crying even though his tears had stopped at Hiro's confession.

"I can't believe I was so stupid and heartless as to go and say that to you now. I should never have told you, but now? God." His words were still tumbling out over each other. "I don't know what I was thinking! It just came out. I-!" He stopped, his eyes suddenly wide. "Wait, what?"

"I know," repeated Shuichi.

"You know how stupid that was?" he asked cautiously, afraid to even think that Shuichi had meant anything else.

"I know you love me."

Now it was Hiro's turn to sit dumbfounded for a moment. His wide eyes were still locked on Shuichi's as he tried to process what he had just been told. He could come up with only one logical interoperation of his friend's words.

"Shuichi," he said gently. "I know we've known each other for forever and that we're best friends and all, but I don't mean that." He sighed. At this point he might as well say it. "I'm in love with you."

"I know," said Shuichi again. He could have been rather annoyed by this time if he wasn't so distraught over Yuki.

"You know?" said Hiro blankly.

"Yes."

"How long...?" he asked tentatively.

Shuichi shrugged. On any other day the pain burning in his best friend's eyes would have broken his heart, but tonight the pieces could get no smaller. A faction of his mind felt horrible that he could not find pity for Hiro in himself, but he was too consumed with grief. His guilt would have to wait.

"Was it that obvious?" asked Hiro with a wry smile.

Shuichi shrugged again. He wished Hiro would go away. He had been right. He could not have confessed his love at a worse time.

"Look, I know I can never replace him," Hiro began.

_Damn right,_ thought Shuichi bitterly.

"I just want you to know that I'm here for you – for anything. I'll be whatever you need me to be." Hiro bit his lip, determined not to start crying especially now that Shuichi had stopped.

"I don't need you to be my lover," said Shuichi flatly.

"That's not what I meant!" Hiro quickly tried to correct himself.

"Yes it is." The singer's voice had grown bleak and tired. It was starting to truly sink in and nothing mattered anymore. He could not make himself care. As much as he felt that his heart had been yanked out through his ribs, the pain was dulling – or at least he was growing used to it.

He slowly sifted through his options. He could move on and just forget everything that had happened tonight, forget what they'd said – Yuki _and_ Hiro. He could go back and try to make Yuki love him again or even just find out why. Why? WHY! He wanted to scream the word to the night and as he thought it is brain was suddenly on fire.

Maybe Hiro was right, maybe Yuki didn't want this. But still, wasn't he enough of a man to say "no?" Maybe not. Maybe that was why he'd let Shuichi stay with him, but then again...

It was ridiculous! Yuki couldn't possibly want this. It wasn't him. She was not the kind of person he'd want. She was possessive and overbearing and lay around in her red underwear, for crying out loud! He _must_ be being forced into this.

Shuichi was suddenly sitting erect, ready for action. He had to go _do_ something, rescue his Yuki. He was about to take off, when his mind flitted back. Why couldn't Yuki take care of himself? _He_ was the seme after all, _he_ should be taking care of Shuichi!

Hurt and betrayal mixed into spite and a horrible idea came into his mind.

No. No, he couldn't. It wasn't right. It wasn't good for anybody. But he'd feel so much better knowing he was in control, knowing that he didn't need Yuki, knowing that Yuki could go to Hell for all he cared and...! No, he told himself again, no. He couldn't do that, not to Hiro.

"Shuichi?" Hiro asked nervously. The sudden stiffness in his posture, the emotions that chased each other across his face, the coldness in his eyes. What was Shuichi thinking?

If Yuki didn't want to marry her, how much would it hurt him if Shuichi turned around and did what had been done to him? Would it be worth it? Would seeing that look on Yuki's face, the look he had so many times put on Shuichi's, be worth doing that to Hiro? He opened his mouth to act, but his thoughts and words got crossed and came it all wrong.

"Talk me out of this!" Shuichi cried desperately.

"What?" asked Hiro totally taken aback.

Shuichi hadn't meant to say it, but now that he had he might as well continue.

"Tell me that me that he doesn't love me and that I can't make him jealous because he doesn't care!" the pink-haired singer begged.

Hiro looked puzzled for a moment and then the light bulb went on above his head. _Shuichi couldn't mean _that_, could he?_

"Shuichi," he began slowly, not sure of what to say.

_But if he _did_ mean that wouldn't it be perfect? No,_ he told himself,_ no, it wouldn't be. It would be horrible. He'd only be doing it to get at Yuki not because of me. But still..._ How many nights had he lain awake wanting nothing more that to hold Shuichi in his arms? How many times had he had to hear his love rant about Yuki? How many times...?

And it would be the perfect way? If Yuki did care about Shuichi, which Hiro thought he did, this would be the perfect way to get back a the bastard for everything he'd done to Shuichi?

"I think he does care about you," said Hiro, still speaking slowly, telling himself over and over that he wasn't lying so he wasn't _really_ manipulating his friend.

"Don't-!" Shuichi begged, his voice becoming broken again. If he made vengeance on Yuki sound at all possible... He knew how much it would hurt Hiro, but he still couldn't make himself care. It scared him, in a way, how he couldn't control himself.

"I really do," said Hiro quickly, happily digging himself and Shuichi into a deeper and deeper hole.

_I have to hate him._ Shuichi told himself. _I have to want to hurt Yuki. It's the only way he'll ever understand how I feel – the only way he'll understand what he did to me. It's the only way..._

Something snapped and Shuichi's emotions won control of his body.

Hiro's eyes widened with horror as he realized only moments too late what his best friend was about to do, but his cry of "no" never even made it to his lips.

Shuichi kissed Hiro in a sudden, almost violent movement. It only lasted a moment, but Hiro could feel fire on the singer's lips and, even in an instant, he could feel it was no flame of love, but a burning pain and hatred.

Hiro had wanted this for so long, but now it was all wrong.

"Shuichi," he said trying to keep his voice steady and his tone gentle. "Don't do this to yourself."

Shuichi couldn't speak, but his friend could easily read the words in his eyes. _Save me from myself!_ Shuichi pleaded silently. _Stop me from loving him. Make me want you and forget him. Make the pain stop. Blind me. Deafen me. Smother me. Do whatever it takes. Please make the pain stop. Please._ He finally forced out one, broken word.

"Please."

_It's all you've ever wanted!_ Hiro screamed at himself. _He's finally realized that Yuki's bad for him and I'm perfect. So why can't I say yes? Why am I pushing him away?_ He knew the answer. _Because this isn't right. This isn't that way it should be. No matter how much they try to deny it and how much hurt each other Shuichi and Yuki are in love. They belong together. Shuichi belong to Yuki. He'll never be mine that way and, as much as I want it, I can't let him try to be something he's not. _

"I'm sorry," said Hiro hoarsely. "I can't."

Shuichi didn't understand. Wasn't this what Hiro wanted? Was he trying to protect himself? _He must be seeing straight through my plan. I should have known he'd never fall from something that stupid._ Yet there was still that burning in him, that lack of control, that wild, wounded feeling like an injured animal trying to escape a stalking beast. The poisonous idea had spread through his veins, infesting his brain and consuming his body with its toxic power. Any antidote that might exist was far too late now.

"One night?" asked Shuichi without thinking.

--

**Sorry it took me so long to get this up. I tried to make it longer to make up for the wait. I hope you liked it. I'm not sure how I feel about, but it sorta wrote itself that way and I didn't know where else it could go.**


	7. Chapter 7

Hiro stared at Shuichi for a long moment. His pink-haired love stared back, unsure if he regretted his rash request or not.

Hiro sighed. _Why the hell am I doing this?_

He stood up.

Shuichi thought his friend was going to leave him there alone in the dark, but Hiro held out a hand to him. He gazed at it for a moment then his eyes flicked to Hiro's face, back to his hand and again to his face.

"Well?" asked Hiro, a slight reluctance in his voice as if to remind Shuichi that he was doing this for him.

The singer raised his own hand reaching for Hiro's, but he hesitated, pulling his fingers to his lips. _Do I really want to do this? _Can_ I really do this?_

Hiro remained still and impassive.

Shuichi looked up from Hiro's hand once more and into his brown eyes. They were filled with love and pain and sparked something in Shuichi: a tiny, struggling flame of some feeling. Was it desire?

In a sudden, definitive motion Shuichi reached out and took Hiro's hand.

Hiro gave a half smile. A part of him had been hoping that his friend would realize how bad of an idea this was, but it was too late now.

Hiro pulled Shuichi to his feet and lead him by the hand to the place just outside the park where he'd left him motorcycle. He gently placed the extra helmet he'd brought on Shuichi's pink head, tracing his fingers across the pale jaw as he buckled the strap beneath Shuichi's chin. He put on his own helmet and they got on the bike. Shuichi wrapped his arms around Hiro's waist and for a moment the guitarist paused to enjoy the feeling before revving his bike to life.

They rode in silence through the streets. Hiro wove expertly through the very late-night traffic, taking hidden short cuts, and squeezing through gaps Shuichi wouldn't have imagined he could have. Soon they reached his apartment building and Hiro parked the bike in his small spot in the parking garage. He hopped of and turned to help Shuichi to the ground. He removed his friend's helmet as tenderly as he had put it on and pulled his own off roughly and clipped them both to the back of the bike.

He took Shuichi's hand again and led him to the elevator that would take them up to Hiro's apartment. Shuichi closed his eyes as the moved slowly upward, willing himself not to think about the first time Yuki had kissed him. He was very grateful to hear the somewhat shrill _ping_ that meant they had reached their destination.

The apartment looked just as it always had – small and messy, but friendly and somehow very safe. Shuichi took in the familiar room as Hiro locked the door behind them.

There was something oddly cautious about Hiro's movements as if he were sure he was dreaming and was terrified he might wake up. Shuichi looked at him with something between expectance and apprehension. Hiro licked his lips and tentatively drew Shuichi to his chest. He examined his best friend's face and wondered fleetingly if he would ever look at that face and simply label it "best friend" again or if tonight would pollute that forever.

"I know you want this," whispered Shuichi, his lips inches from Hiro's.

"I-," Hiro began uncertainly.

"It's Okay," said the singer. "Do it. I want you to."

Those words were all the incentive Hiro needed.

He kissed Shuichi with a desperate passion and need, letting the yearning that had been consuming him for so long take control of his body. He felt his fingers tangling in pink locks without even considering the action. His other hand was on Shuichi's back, pulling him even closer. There was no thought, no consideration; there was only desire.

And Shuichi was reacting.

He too, seemed to have no control over his body and he too did not care. He kissed his best friend back, returning the passion, letting his lips move with Hiro's and part when Hiro's tongue suggested it. Although there was not the same driving need in the way he pulled Hiro to him, in the way his fingers intertwined with the red-brown locks, in the way he kissed back, he was by no means unresponsive.

It was strange, almost otherworldly, to Shuichi. He felt almost as if he were watching a movie of himself kissing Yuki the way he had sometimes at night, expect that someone had gone in and replaced Yuki with Hiro. It didn't seem real and yet it was happening.

Hiro pulled away from him slightly. They were both gasping for breath. Shuichi privately thought that they should take this somewhere else. The door and escape being so close was making him oddly uncomfortable.

Hiro seemed to read his mind because, as his hands began sliding up under Shuichi's shirt, he steered the smaller man out of the entryway and over to his bed.

Shuichi felt his shirt being pulled off over his head only moments before he felt his back hit the bed.

"Hiro!" he managed to gasp as the guitarist settled himself aggressively over the singer.

"What?" he asked, halting in his move to kiss Shuichi again.

Shuichi did not know what he'd been going to say so instead he whispered, "don't stop."

Hiro gave a slight smirk and began kissing his newly clamed uke again.

Shuichi struggled to find the bottom of Hiro's shirt, an endeavor made difficult by the fact that Hiro kept pinning his arms down in a possessive sort of way as if to keep him from running off somewhere. At last, in exasperation, he pulled his lips away from Hiro's.

"How am I supposed to get your damn shirt off if you won't let go of my arms?" he demanded crossly.

"Oh sorry," said Hiro quickly moving his hands. He hadn't even been aware he'd been holding Shuichi down.

Shuichi rolled his eyes. It wasn't like he'd been resisting and had needing pinning to the bed. He quickly whipped Hiro's shirt off and tossed it onto the floor to join his own.

A few minutes later pants and everything else they'd been wearing followed.

It was different with Hiro. Shuichi couldn't put his finger on it. It wasn't bad or anything, just different. Maybe it was that he knew how much Hiro wanted him, how long he'd waited for this. He wondered why it didn't seem wrong. He didn't love Hiro this way. He was doing this to get at Yuki. Why did it feel ... good?

"Hiro," Shuichi gasped again.

"I love you," Hiro replied.

Shuichi could only moan and whimper.

--

**Sorry if you were hoping for more, uh, details, but I'm not even going to try because it will be terrible so you'll just have to use your imagination.**


	8. Chapter 8

When Shuichi awoke the next morning (really later than same morning as it had been far beyond midnight when he'd finally fallen asleep in Hiro's arms) he felt tired, sore, and cold. His first thought for a source of warmth was Yuki, but he remembered all too soon. Still, he reached out, his fingers straying across the sheet in search of Hiro instead. But he found nothing.

"Hiro?" he mumbled sleepily.

Nothing.

"Hiro?" he called a little louder without opening his eyes. Hiro was a very sound sleeper after all.

Still nothing.

Shuichi opened his eyes and sat up.

Hiro was not there.

"Hiro?" Shuichi called. _Maybe he's making breakfast, not that that would go well..._

Silence.

The singer looked around. Hiro's clothes were gone from the scattered mess on the floor.

_Where the hell did he go? Tell me he hasn't run off somewhere._

Shuichi squinted at the bedside clock.

10:00 AM.

_Good thing Tohma's not expecting us in today._

The thought of Tohma lit the fuse to the diamante in Shuichi's mind and it only took a few, frozen moments for the idea to explode.

"No!" Shuichi gasped.

_He wouldn't. He wouldn't!_ But Shuichi knew perfectly well he would. He'd done it before after all. _But now? Oh Hiro, no! That's not going to make it any better. I still love-!_

Shuichi scrambled out of bed, yanking his cloths on haphazardly and running into the doorframe as he tried to get through it while pulling his shirt back on. He hopped into the living room, pulling his pants on franticly as he went.

The front door slammed.

Shuichi froze.

"Shuichi?" asked Hiro, looking at his friend's chaotic state in confusion. "I thought you'd still be asleep."

"Hiro! Where did you-? Hiro! You're bleeding!" Shuichi gasped. That was not all that was wrong with him either. Shuichi took in scratches on his face and arms, a black eye, and at least one tear in his shirt.

"Am I?" inquired Hiro, forcing his voice into calm surprise.

"Yes!"

Hiro raised a hand to his face a dabbed at his nose. "Huh, am I, aren't I?" he said, examining the blood on his fingertips. "Nosebleed, I guess. I'll go get cleaned up."

He started to move towards the bathroom. Shuichi saw he was limping slightly.

"Hiro, what happened to you?" he asked cautiously.

"Nothing."

"You're bleeding; you've got a black eye; you're face is all scratched up; you're limping and you look like you've just been in a fight." Shuichi pointed out bluntly.

"Oh," said Hiro.

"Oh?" repeated Shuichi. "Hiro, what were you doing?"

"Look Shuichi, I think it would be better if you just let it go," said Hiro, glancing away.

"What do you mean, "just let it go?" You're hurt!"

"Shuichi, please. It's better this way."

Shuichi's eyes swept up and down Hiro's frame as if trying to find some clue as to what had happened. His gaze lingered on his friend's face, taking in every detail. His nose was still bleeding and looked as if it had been broken. The few scratches on his face didn't look serious, but should still be cleaned. The most noticeable thing was that his right eye was an alarming shade of dark purple and nearly swollen shut. There was, however, nothing that suggested who might have done all this to Hiro. Shuichi frowned. Something didn't seem right. He skimmed Hiro's face again. Hiro's brow furrowed as he watched Shuichi studying his face.

His nose, the scratches, his eye.

Nose, scratches, eye.

_Why does this seem off?_

Nose, scratches, eye.

"Shuichi?" asked Hiro uncertainly. "Uh..."

Nose, scratches-

It hit Shuichi like a painfully flat power chord.

Hiro had been punched on his _right_ eye.

"What is it?" asked Hiro in an unsure sort of voice.

Shuichi moved his right hand forward slightly.

"Shuichi?"

Hitting someone of the right side of their face would be really awkward. He traced the line his hand would follow to Hiro's face with his eyes. He would hit the _left_ eye. So how had whoever hit Hiro managed to get the _right_ one? Unless...

The breath caught in Shuichi's throat.

He only knew one left-handed person.

"No," he whispered, pain flaring up behind his eyes. He hadn't. ... he had. He must have. _Damn it, Hiro! Why did you go and do exactly what I'd been praying you hadn't done?_

"Shuichi?" asked Hiro. His friend's weird behavior was seriously starting to worry him. Last night had definitely been a bad idea.

"Hiro, you didn't," he begged.

"I didn't what?" asked Hiro, confused.

"Why? Because he hurt me? Hiro! That's not your fault and it's not your problem. Why on Earth did you go and do such a stupid thing? He's _killed_ people; you know that, don't you?" Shuichi was struggling to keep his voice for shattering completely. "You're lucky he didn't _kill_ you! Not that he'd have any reason to since he's got that woman now," he added quickly and painfully, "but still, he can be a little, uh, unbalanced."

"Shuichi," said Hiro with a sigh. _Of course he'd realize where I'd been. Should I fake it?_

"What were trying to do anyway? Take some kind of weird revenge on my behalf?"

"Shuichi," said Hiro again. "What are you going on about?" he asked even though he exactly what Shuichi was going on about.

"Yuki!" Shuichi practically shouted.

"Ah." _Damn._

There was a long, very awkward silence.

"How'd you know?" asked Hiro at last.

"He's left handed," said Shuichi, his voice strangely calm. "Only a left-handed person would have hit on your right eye."

Hiro would have been impressed with Shuichi's detective work if his mind hadn't been totally consumed with the idea that Shuichi really did know what he'd done.

"Shuichi, I'm sorry. It was rash. I shouldn't have. I just couldn't stand the thought of that bastard not getting it what he'd done to you."

"He could have killed you!" cried Shuichi again.

"Aren't you worried about him?" asked Hiro, a sudden edge of spite in his voice.

"What?" asked Shuichi, he sudden bitterness through him off balance.

"Look Shuichi," said Hiro, running his fingers through his hair. "I know you love him. You don't have to lie to me and you certainly shouldn't be lying to yourself. I love you, but," his voice faltered, "I can't let you do this to yourself. You need to be with him. No matter how bad I think he is for you, it's pretty clear _not_ being with him is a hell of a lot worse."

"Hiro." He wasn't making any sense. _Why would he want me to be with a guy he just had a fight with?_ "What happened?"

"In short? I went to his apartment and said I had something to tell him. He came down. I told him," he faltered again, unsure what words to use, "about last night and that it was mostly my fault, but partly his fault and that he was killing you and I wasn't just going to sit by and watch. I didn't really meant for it to be a fight, but, well..."

"Hiro, I'm sorry. This is my fault too."

"No, it's not." He sighed. S mad as he was at Yuki for hurting Shuichi so badly, he was even more furious at himself. How could _he_ have hurt Shuichi like that? Was he just like Yuki? "We both made a mistake." He sighed again. "Go to him."

"What?" asked Shuichi.

"Go," said Hiro again. "I know he loves you."

"Why are you saying that?" asked Shuichi who was on the verge of tears. "It's not true!"

"Hey, I'm the one who's seen him, right?"

Shuichi said nothing.

"I'm not blind, Shuichi, and I'm not a complete moron. He was furious at the idea of me being with you, of me letting you hurt yourself like that, but not nearly as furious at he was at himself for hurting you. Just because he's trying to lie to himself doesn't mean he doesn't love you. He does. And he needs you. You're a weird ass couple, but in some twisted way you were meant for each other. Go to him Shuichi; I'll be Okay."

"Hiro, I'm so sorry," whispered Shuichi again.

Hiro prayed that he was succeeding in keeping his emotions off his face. He felt awful and not because Yuki had beaten the crap out of him. He couldn't believe he'd taken advantage of his best friend like that and at a time when Shuichi had needed him to be strong. But even more overwhelming than the guilt at hurting Shuichi and, he had to admit it to himself, enjoying it, was the shattering pain of, after a few radiant hours, having to give him up. He loved Shuichi more than anything else in the world and he knew that he had to let Shuichi be happy. He wanted him of course, but more than that he wanted Shuichi to be with the man he loved. As much as it killed him, as much as he'd like for Shuichi to hate Yuki, he couldn't lie to the one he loved, he couldn't deny him what would make him happier than anything else. He would just have to build up an immunity to seeing them together and he learn to find joy in Shuichi's joy.

"It's my fault," he said at last.

"Don't be stupid! You can't help who you fall in love with! You said it yourself."

Hiro smiled a little at the memory.

"Go on, you moron. I'm sure he's waiting for you." He gave Shuichi a playful sort of shove and tried to smile. It hurt.

"But you..." began Shuichi uncertainly.

"Yeah, I do, but so what? I want you to be happy, Shuichi. And if you're happy with him, that's good enough for me. We're both sorry about last night, so let's just let it go; it's the best thing to do. Now get out of here." He tried to smile again.

"Are you sure?" Hiro was his best friend. He'd never wanted to hurt him. Shuichi was sure that if Hiro asked him to stay, he would and stay forever,

"Yes."

--

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been busy and I'm having a lot of trouble with this story, especially this chapter. Writer's block I guess. This is at least the third version of this chapter. In the first one Shuichi wakes up and Hiro's gone. He discovers he's gone to Yuki's place and finds the two of them there having just had a fight and there was a horribly over-dramatic show down sort of thing. In the other version, Hiro comes back looking like crap and starts coughing up blood (yes, like Yuki did in the anime). Shuichi gets him to hospital and thinks he's going to die – more over-dramatic-ness. Then they have basically the same heart-to-heart I used in this one. There might have been another version in there somewhere that I don't remember. Anyway, I'm still not thrilled with this, but I figured it was better to get **_**something**_** up then wait until I got it 100% right.**


	9. Chapter 9

Shuichi's fingers were shaking as his hit the button on the buzzer just like they had been the first time he'd come here.

"Yes?" said a cold, calm voice.

At the sound of Yuki's voice Shuichi's die.

"Hello?" asked Yuki, clearly annoyed.

"It's me," he whispered.

"Shuichi?" asked Yuki totally thrown off.

"Yeah."

"Come to give me hell about Hiro?" he asked bluntly.

"Not exactly."

"Well, I hope you at least have an explanation for this, damn brat," the writer said in a voice that was alarmingly like a snarl.

Shuichi felt his heart leap at the sound of his "pet name" and he turned to run through the doors that were sliding open. He ran up the stairs as fast as he could and burst through the unlocked apartment door.

Yuki was standing in much the same place he had been the last time Shuichi had burst through those door but his body was slightly tense and there was death glinting in his eyes.

There were still signs of a minor struggle in the room: scattered papers, pillows from the sofa on the floor, an upturned side table.

"Well?" asked Yuki without moving.

Shuichi opened his mouth not knowing what to say, but what came out wasn't exactly what he'd hoped for.

"What the hell is your problem?" Shuichi shouted at Yuki as anger flared inside him. "He didn't do anything to you! It's _me_ should be angry at! If you still give a damn about me that is!"

"So this is _your_ fault?" demanded Yuki coolly.

"Whose fault do you think it is?" Shuichi yelled back.

"I don't know," Yuki said sarcastically. "Maybe mine!"

That threw Shuichi off balance.

"What?" he asked, forgetting to shout. "Then why the _hell_ did you do that to _Hiro_?" He remembered to shout this time.

"Well, not to sound childish, but he _did_ start it and he shouldn't have let you do that!" Yuki's voice was rising now. _When will that little idiot learn what's good for him? Not that I am, but what he did last night was certainly _not_ good for him!_

"_He_ shouldn't have _let_ me? Has it ever crossed your mind that I just might be old enough to think for my self?"

"You're not doing a very good job of it," Yuki snapped. "If he was really your friend he would have looked after you, not taken advantage of you!"

"He didn't take advantage of me!" Shuichi shouted. _How dare Yuki attack Hiro like that?_ "Maybe I wanted him to!"

There was a horrible silence.

Shuichi wished with all his heart he could yank the words back, but it was of course too late.

"Shuichi," said Yuki, his eyes betraying a tiny glimmer his inner agony for the first time. He tried to think of something to say that wasn't what he wanted to, yet the words came out anyway. "Did you?"

Shuichi looked away.

"I wanted myself to, but I didn't," he whispered after a moment. "I wanted to hate you and be able to forget you, but how could I? I wanted to love someone who loves me back," he said spitefully, "but I don't love him, not like that." There were tears in his eyes now.

_Trying to suppress your love? That sounds familiar. _The similarities between Shuichi and his younger self were scary sometimes.

"But you know what?" Shuichi continued, biting his lip and trying to suppress tears. "I think I can get past what happened last night; I think I have to. I hate myself for hurting Hiro like that; I shouldn't have done it. It's probably killing him and it's Okay if he never wants talk to me again. I'd take all the heat about Bad Luck; I totally deserve it." He could feel tears on his cheeks, but he ignored them.

_Of course, he's worried about how much he hurt Hiro._ He had every right to be and Yuki knew it, but that didn't stop some small part of him from wanting to yell at Shuichi, "What about me? Don't you care you hurt me too?" Of course, he'd hurt Shuichi far worse, but still...

"But what I really wanna know is what the hell is your problem, Yuki? Did I really mean that little to you? I thought you loved me! I thought you cared!" His voice was rising from tears and he had to force the words out. "But if you had to go and do that, why didn't you just tell me? I love you!" The last three words weren't even audible, just the movement of his lips. Shuichi broke down utterly and felt a jolt as knees hit the floor.

"Shuichi," Yuki whispered. _What have I done?_

Yuki slumped back again the wall, his face fell into his hand and he felt the unfamiliar sensation of tears behind his eyes. He knew he should go to Shuichi, comfort him, but it wasn't in his nature and he didn't know how.

The only thing sound broke the long silence was Shuichi's sobbing.

"Shuichi, I'm sorry," said Yuki at last without looking up.

"Yeah right," said Shuichi in a choked voice.

Yuki gave a wry smile.

"I thought you understood me," he said with a shake if his head.

"Well apparently you have Yūko Hozuki for that now," Shuichi said in a voice that was meant to be cold, but came out shattered. "Where is your darling love anyway?"

"At her house," said Yuki distractedly, raising his head at last.

"What?" asked Shuichi as scathingly as he could through the end of his tears. "She doesn't live here?"

"You really think I want that, don't you?" Yuki asked, his voice sad and quiet.

"If you don't want it, don't want _her_, why are you doing this?" he asked in an accusing, still broken voice.

"Because I don't have a lot of choice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" spat Shuichi, his tears gone for the moment.

"I'll explain everything later," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "First, let me get one thing straight with you." He cross the space that speared them in a few, long strides so that he stood over the smaller man.

Shuichi looked up at him, his expression full of pain and spite and longing. Yuki gazed at him for a moment and then knelt unexpectedly so that his face was inches from Shuichi, who could not turn his face away fast enough to escape the fingers that suddenly grasped his chin.

Shuichi had been imagining this kiss ever since he'd left Yuki's side for America and he knew this was not how it was supposed to be. They were supposed to be in the airport and he was supposed to have come running to his stoic lover and fling his arms around Yuki's neck and the blond was supposed to smile just a little bit and mutter "damn brat" and then they were supposed to kiss and not care who saw. It was supposed to be the best kiss. It was supposed to make up for everything they had been missing in their six months apart. It was supposed to be beautiful and wild and free and passionate and loving and tender and caring, all at the same time. That was how it was supposed to be.

However, they were not in the airport, they were in Yuki's apartment where Shuichi had first seen that devil woman. Shuichi had not come running to Yuki, he had been sent by Hiro, whom he'd just slept with. Yuki had not said anything sweet, only things that made no sense at all and he had not said them with a smile. The blond was holding Shuichi's face to his own, forcing him into what Shuichi had so wanted to be the best kiss ever, but there was nothing there. Shuichi himself was too shocked and upset to react or kiss his love back and he could feel nothing in Yuki's kiss besides the press of his lips. There was no passion, no love, no caring, no anything, not even anger or hatred.

Shuichi pushed Yuki away and jumped to his feet. _So that's it, is it? "Get one thing straight," huh? I guess by that you meant prove you don't love me!_

"Shuichi," he whispered, some hidden emotion shimmering behind his voice.

"What was that?" Shuichi demanded, glaring down at Yuki in furry. "Don't tell me that was supposed to make me feel better! I leave Japan for not even six moths - Tohma _forces_ me to leave - I come back wanting nothing more than to see you and you're engaged to some heiress slut and I'm the last person to know!" he shouted.

"Shuichi."

"What the hell? I thought you cared! I thought you finally cared about me! Was that all a lie? Were you just screwing with me? Did you just want to watch someone suffer? Was it all just a game to you? I _love_ you! Doesn't that mean anything to you? If you don't love me, fine, but I thought you would at least have the decency to break it off with _me_ and not just go off with some woman while I'm gone!" Shuichi could feel hot tears coursing down his cheeks again, but he could do nothing to stop them. They chocked his rant and yet he someone pushed blindly on.

"Shuichi, please," said Yuki as he pushed himself slowly to his feet.

"Why, Yuki, why? I thought- I thought-!" He could barely get the words out now. "I thought you loved me too," he whispered.

"Shuichi," Yuki whispered, gazing down at the distraught singer. "Please, just listen."

Shuichi wiped his hand across his eyes though he continued to cry and said nothing.

"I don't want to marry her. I don't want anything to do with her. This wasn't _my_ idea." There was a pleading note in his voice Shuichi had never heard there before.

"Then why-?" Shuichi did not understand. This wasn't the Yuki he knew. This broken, hurt, pleading man was not his Yuki. What had that woman _done_ to him?

"Shuichi, do you want to be with me?" Yuki asked quietly after a moment.

"How could you even ask that?" Shuichi asked between subdued sobs.

"Because I never meant you to have to wonder the same thing about me." He could not look his lover in the eyes.

"Do you mean-?"

Yuki stepped forward suddenly and pulled Shuichi to his chest. Shuichi gasped and froze for a moment. Then he buried his face in Yuki's shoulder and broke down completely, melting into Yuki's chest. Yuki stroked the pink, spiky hair and tried to sooth him. Shuichi just sobbed into the blue, button down shirt. Yuki bent his head, closing his eyes and breathing in the smell of Shuichi's hair, face hidden in the pink spikes.

"Shuichi," he whispered. He suddenly had to prove that he could be there for Shuichi. He could comfort him; he could hold him. He could do things Hiro had failed to do the night before.

"Yuki," the singer choked.

"I missed you."

Shuichi could only cry, but Yuki knew how much his lover had missed him.

Shuichi looked up into Yuki's face and, although tears blurred his vision, he could see the suffering in the older man's eyes. However, Yuki pushed aside whatever was causing him such deep pain and smiled ever so slightly for Shuichi. He took his hand from the pink hair to wipe away tears from the flushed cheeks.

"Are you really going to marry her?" Shuichi asked at last.

"I don't know," Yuki whispered. "I don't know."

"How? How can you not know?" Shuichi's voice was choked by sobs, but he still managed to force the words out.

"Because-," he began but stopped himself. Shuichi did not need to know the truth. He didn't like lying on top of everything else he'd done to his love, but the truth would only hurt him. "Like I said, it wasn't my idea. I'm not really in control of the situation. I've never really been in control of anything." It was an odd realization.

Even through his tears, Shuichi gave a derisive sort laugh.

"It's true. My parents always tried to fix my life to _their_ liking. I didn't _want_ to go to New York as a child. You know the marriage to Ayaka was arranged. I might act like I always get my way, but the things that really matter have always been completely out of my control." He stopped his rant and took a deep breath. "Until you."

"And how am I in your control?" asked Shuichi utterly failing to sound sarcastic due to his tears and the fact that he knew he was completely in Yuki's control.

"It's up to me to make this work." A look that clearly said "and we both know that you'll do anything I ask you to" flickered behind his eyes, but his words remained serious. "I know how far you're willing to go to be with me, therefore whether or not you are is up to me."

Shuichi swallowed. "And do you want to be with me?" he whispered.

Yuki closed his eyes and turned his head away to hide the pain that he could feel burning behind his lids. That Shuichi thought he had to ask, that he had _made_ Shuichi think he had to ask, broke his heart. Despite his cold nature and harsh words, the pink-haired singer was all he wanted and all he loved. Everything that mattered to him in the world was shaking in his arms. Five feet and five inches of pink-haired, violet-eyed, over-emotional, highly annoying, extremely immature, and utterly perfect rock star was all that was worth living for. And Shuichi didn't know. He didn't know because Yuki had learned long ago that showing his feelings for someone else was risky at best and fatal at worst. The lesson he'd learned best from his childhood tutor was that love in any form was something to be avoided and hidden at all costs. Yuki was trying to let Shuichi teach him something new. He had to let his love show. Shuichi needed it. He needed it.

Yuki opened his eyes and gazed down at Shuichi for a moment, none of his thoughts showing on his face.

For a long moment Shuichi did not know what Yuki was going to say. Then, the blond smiled.

"Yes."

It was all he said and all that was needed.

Yuki pulled his arm tighter around Shuichi's waist, drawing the smaller body to his own. Shuichi stared up into the gold eyes he'd missed so much and he forgot everything else. He forgot that Yuki was due to be married soon. He forgot that Yuki had gotten engaged while he had been gone. He forgot that Yuki was always cold and harsh to him. He forgot that he'd spent the dark hours of the morning with Hiro. Nothing mattered, nothing in the world, expect the man holding him close.

Yuki inclined his head and gently gave Shuichi what he'd been dreaming for almost six months.

It was sweet and caring; Shuichi felt like he was being kissed for the first time. Yet behind the tenderness was a fiery passion boarding on need. Shuichi pressed his lips to his lover's and knew he wanted nothing else in the world other than to be close to Yuki. Everything else could go to hell, as long as Yuki wanted him. If Yuki would just hold him close, that would be enough.

---

**I got this one up a lot faster, right? Yeah that would be because I'd already written most of it after one of the previous versions of the last chapter. Anyway, I got them back together. Yay! Now I've just got to clean up this mess. I don't think it's going to be a lot longer because it's really frustrating me for some reason. At any rate I hope you like it.**


	10. Chapter 10

"Shuichi, there's something I have to tell you," said Yuki as he sat on the sofa with the singer curled up against his chest.

"Mmm?"

"About, well, about what happened while you were away," he said cautiously.

Shuichi's body tensed in Yuki's arms.

"About Yūko," he finished.

"What about her?" asked Shuichi slowly, twisting his neck to look into Yuki's golden eyes.

"I'm not sure exactly how to begin." _Where are your writing skills when you need them, Eiri?_ He asked himself. _You could sure as hell use a little fiction right about now._ But he knew he would tell Shuichi as much of the truth as was safe. "I guess it all comes back to Tohma, really."

"Ha! I knew it!" cried Shuichi springing upright. "I knew he sent me on that tour just to get me away from you!"

"Calm down, damn brat! Is that what I said?" He rolled his eyes at Shuichi's incredible ability to jump to conclusions. "He just took advantage of the situation that presented itself."

"Eh?"

"You were away and then Yūko showed up and he sotra pounced."

"What happened?" asked Shuichi.

"Well," Yuki began, careful to select exactly the right words. "Her family contacted Tohma, god only knows why, guess he's the most powerful person in my family or something." He rolled his eyes again. "Tohma came to talk to me the next day and when I say "came" I mean it. He _showed_ up here unannounced and far too early in the morning for any sane person. He then produced to tell me flat out that I was marrying this girl. I don't remember exactly what he said, but the tone was something to the effect of "it didn't bother you to be engaged to Ayaka when you didn't love her so this shouldn't be a problem – plus Yūko's richer." I basically told him to fuck off and he did – for about a day, then he was back telling me exactly _why_ I should marry her." He put on a fake sweet voice. "How it's good for the family and don't I care about that? Don't I want to help?" He dropped the sugary tone and adapted a very sarcastic one. "Well, not really, no."

"So why'd you agree to do it?" Shuichi inquired when Yuki stopped talking.

This was the part Yuki didn't want to have to explain.

"You know Tohma, he's pretty persuasive," he said causally.

"I also know you; you're pretty stubborn."

Yuki smiled ever so slightly. "Alright, I'll tell you as much as I can as long as you promise not to pester me about the rest," he conceded with a sigh.

Shuichi knew this was the best (and only) offer he was going to get.

"Okay."

"Yūko's family has been trying to marry her off for a while, but, despite her being from one of _the_ richest families in Japan and having been on multiple "hottest women in Japan" lists, no one will marry her. No one can stand her. So of course Tohma immediately thinks we'll get along just great since not many people can stand me either."

"I can stand you," Shuichi piped up. _I can do I lot more than just stand you._

"Do you want me to tell you what happened?"

"Sorry."

"So, he says that I'll marry her. _Then_ he tells me. I say nothing doing. You know that bit already. I'm still not sure why he was so determined to get me married; he's always hitting on me, it's disgusting. I guess he must want me away from you that badly. So anyway," he gave a slight, annoyed sighed at the memory, "Tohma figures that there must be a way to change my mind. So he comes to me, "Why won't you marry her? And don't say because you don't like her because that didn't stop you last time." And I told him, straight to his face, that I wasn't going to agree to marry someone I didn't want to be with this time because I know what it's like to be with someone I want to be with and I'm not going to give that up."

Shuichi made a small, happy noise, which Yuki ignored.

"_That_ didn't go over too well, of course. He really does _not_ like me being with you. So he went on this rant about all the reasons I should marry her. Most of which, indecently, sounded more like reasons why I _shouldn't_ be with _you_. I more or less tuned him out so I couldn't tell you what his argument was, but when he finally shut up, I just told him no again. That's when it got nasty."

It had sounded nasty already to Shuichi and he hated to think what _Tohma_ had said to _his_ Yuki.

Yuki knew he had to stop stalling and tell Shuichi what had happened.

"Tohma pointed out in that lovely "now I'm going to kill you with a smile" way he has that he has a lot of power, that he could ruin your career if he felt like it and so I pointed out that that wasn't really a great reason for me to ruin _my_ life. You're career takes up too much time anyway."

Shuichi blushed.

"Then he told me – again – all about how you aren't good for me and how I needed to get you out my life and that marrying her would do that. I pointed out that my reason for not agreeing to his little plan was you. He told me I was being stupid, I told him to go to hell." Yuki tried to make this sound "end of story," but Shuichi wasn't buying it.

"So why did you agree in the end? You did, didn't you?" he pressed.

Yuki sighed. _Damn brat. Didn't I say not to pester me about the rest?_

"Yes, I did."

"What did Tohma do?"

"Force me to spend some "quality time" alone with her," he said darkly.

"Yuki, you didn't!" cried Shuichi.

"No, damn brat. She _talked_ at me. That was all. Thank god. Tohma had told her why I wasn't agreeing to the little arrangement. In other words, he'd told her all about us. And let's just say she wasn't thrilled. Her family's very powerful, you know. They could do a lot more than ruin a career."

Shuichi stared at him blankly, not taking the hint at all.

Yuki gave a frustrated sigh. He really did not want tell Shuichi the threat that had been made. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that it might put his lover in danger. He also knew Shuichi's reaction would be off the wall. However, he owed Shuichi too much to lie to him anymore. He just needed to choice his words carefully, that was all.

"They get what they want," he said slowly. "And if someone's in their way, something happens to that someone."

Shuichi's blank look did not change.

"They can make people disappear."

"How?"

"Shuichi! They were threatening your life!" cried Yuki in exasperation, clapping a hand to his forehead. He hadn't meant to put it that directly, but the fact that Shuichi was too slow to catch any of his rather obvious hints that wasn't his fault.

"Oh. Wait. What?" Shuichi did such a massive double take that he fell right off the couch and almost made Yuki smile. "People are trying to _kill_ me?" he cried from the floor.

"No, they just threatened to if I didn't agree to marry Yūko," he explained as patiently as he could.

Shuichi struggled to right himself in the small space between the sofa and the coffee table.

"So they admit you care about me!" he exclaimed joyfully.

"Shuichi! Are you listening to me at all? These Hozuki people are willing to have you _killed_ just to get their daughter married off to me." These were high stakes – even in Yuki's book.

"She must be pretty bad."

Yuki grimaced. "She is." _Damn, I cannot _focus_ around him!_ "That's not the point! The point is I have to figure out a way to get out of this without you being killed."

Shuichi scrambled back onto the couch and tried to climb back into Yuki's lap. The writer pushed him away, running his fingers through his hair.

The phone rang.

Yuki got up with a sigh and went to answer it.

"Hello? ... Oh, hello." His tone changed dramatically. Now it was dark, smooth, and beyond sexy. Shuichi thought he might die. Then he remembered who this voice was for and never wanted to hear it again. "No, I'm not doing anything Yūko. ... Well, I do have a deadline. .... You never asked." Shuichi could hear the ice forming around the edges of the words. "Whenever's best for you. ... Do I have sometime to tell you? ... What do you-? ... Ah. ... Of course I _do_ but- ... I was hoping to tell you in a more dramatic way, darling."

"Tell her what?" mouthed Shuichi.

Yuki covered the mouthpiece and hissed, "Shut _up_, damn brat" at Shuichi.

"Nothing. ... Of course I have a dramatic side; have you never read any of my books? ... Oh. ... You'll just have to wait and see then. ... Not tonight, darling. ... Deadline, remember?" His voice sounded suddenly tried. "A bit. ... Pretty late, yes. ... Writing, what did you think? ... What about Saturday? ... Oh, I'd forgotten about the party. ... Ball, sorry. ... I get distracted by my work and things slip my mind; I'm sorry. ...What time is it? ... Alright. ... I can do it then if you like. ... Would you rather I surprise you? ... Alright then, I won't. ... The party it is. ... Alright. ... Yes. ... I'll see you then, darling. ... Goodnight." He hung up.

"If you _ever_ call me "darling" I will never speak to you again," said Shuichi in a disgusted voice.

Yuki raised an eyebrow is if to say "are you sure you want to make that offer? It's extremely tempting you know."

"What did she want?" Shuichi demeaned sulkily.

"An answer."

"Oh."

"Her family's throwing this ball thing on Saturday. I said I'd tell her then," he said as he returned to the couch.

"Saturday!" cried Shuichi. "How are you gunna get out of it by then?"

"I don't know," said the writer in a tried voice as he sank down into the cushions. "I only told her I had an answer, so she had no reason to think it's yes."

Shuichi snorted in disbelief.

"I never said I was going to agree to it."

"You just talk to her like you're trying to seduce her!"

"I've got to keep her happy, haven't I?" He sighed. "She's going to be pissed when I tell her "no." They all are."

"You're telling her no?" asked Shuichi breathlessly.

"Of course. Haven't we gone over this already?" he asked, annoyed.

"I love you, Yuki," said Shuichi happily.

"I know." _Only too well, damn brat._ He stared moodily out the black window at the lights of the city. "Those people and their guns," he muttered darkly.

"What? Who?"

"Her family, they made their money in gun manufacturing."

Shuichi sprung up and was suddenly on the coffee table. His eyes were gleaming and the energy around him was almost visible.

"That's it!" he cried.

"What?" asked Yuki, more than a little disturbed.

"I know who can fix this!"

"Who?"

"K!"

--

**Ok, I think I might have some idea of where this is going now. Nope, I almost never plan my stories. I just get them started and let them run. I want to know what's going to happen as much as the next person. Thanks to Acherona for pointing out that Tohma and ****Yūko must be holding something over Yuki. I'd kinda forgotten to come up with something.**


	11. Chapter 11

"What?" asked Yuki.

"K."

"Yeah I heard you. That was a "what the hell are you thinking" what," said Yuki.

"If anyone can deal with a bunch of murderous, gun-wilding psychos, it's K, right? I mean, he is one."

Yuki studied Shuichi's shinning face for a moment. It was an idiotic plan (if you could even call it a plan), but at the same time it did make an odd kind of sense. For once the little ball of energy and stupid may have hit something.

"You know," he said slowly, "you may be right."

Shuichi glowed at Yuki's praise.

"I'll call him!"

"Wait," said Yuki sharply. "Let me."

He pulled out his phone and found K's number. _Why do I even _have _his number?_ the writer wondered.

"Hello? ... K-san. ... It's Eiri. ... Yes, he's with me. ... Well, tell him to stop panicking. ... Why would I-? ... Tell him I haven't then." He sounded rather annoyed.

"What is it?" Shuichi whispered loudly.

"Hiro's been freaking out about you. Apparently he thinks you should have called him." He returned to his conversation with K. "Look, Shuichi's had a bit of an idea. ... I know, but he has. ... About the Hozuki situation."

"Even K knows?" shouted Shuichi, outraged.

"Shut up! Sorry, K-san. ... Well you know they made their money in guns. ... I'm sure they're not as good, but that's not the point. ... Shuichi thought you-... Perhaps not quite that violently, but yes. ... Yes, "deal with them" is a good way of putting it. ... It's not about her," he continued, dropping his voice to a whisper. "I don't want him to get hurt. ... Yes, I do. God only knows why. ... Just think about it, Okay? ... Don't do anything just yet though. ... Saturday. That's when I said I'd give her an answer. ... Yeah, that god-awful ball thing. ... Thanks. ... I'll tell him to call Hiro. ... Alright. ...Try not to be too rash. ... Alright. ... Goodbye." He hung up. "He's going to look into it. I told him not to do anything yet, but you never know with K. And call Hiro so the poor guy won't think I've done something to you."

"Okay." He pulled out his phone.

"And get off the table."

"Okay," Shuichi chirped as he hopped down. "Hiro? ... Yeah, it's me. ... Yuki's place. ... K said you we're freaking out. ... I'm fine. ... Yes. ... Really, Hiro, I'm fine. ... Just trying to, uh, solve some problems. ... Sort of. ... The whole engagement thing. ... I'll tell you later." There was a pause. "Hiro? ... Are you Okay? ... I mean," he hesitated, "I'm sorry. ... No, it's not. I should have- ... I didn't mean to hurt you! ... I did. ... Are you sure? ... Okay. ... I guess I'll talk to you later then. ... Okay. ... Bye Hiro." He hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"Shuichi," said Yuki, his voice serious and low. He had been doing some quick, but intense thinking while Shuichi had been talking to Hiro and he know had a half-formed and slightly crazy plan. "I need you to do something for, for me."

"Anything," the singer replied at once.

"Good. I need you to lie low for the next couple of days, Okay? Stay with K and away from me, understand? Don't go anywhere by yourself or do anything that will draw attention to you." He wondered if Shuichi would be up to this task. "Just go to work and come home like you usually do."

"Usually?" repeated Shuichi. "I've been gone for like six months. I don't have a "usually" any more."

"Well do what you did before then," snapped Yuki testily.

"I used to come here," said Shuichi sulkily.

"Well stay with Hiro or something. Surely you didn't sleep in the park before we met." He considered this for a moment. "In fact, I think it would be better if you stayed with Hiro._ He_ knows how to take care of himself."

"And I don't?"

"Apparently not" He sighed. "Look, I know you probably want to spent as little time with Hiro as possible right now, but I just- I want you to be safe, Okay? It's only for a few days. After this ball thing on Saturday, it'll all be over."

"You promise?" asked Shuichi.

"I promise," said Yuki giving his lover a slight and oh-so beautiful smile.

--

**I know that was super-short and I'm sorry, but I thought it was better than nothing. I'm trying to wrap this thing up ASAP because it's going downhill fast and I'm sorry, but we're just not getting along. All I can promise you now is that it'll be weird and probably outrageous. **


	12. Chapter 12

"Shuichi," said Hiro in surprise as he opened his apartment door and saw his friend standing in the hall.

"Hey." There was a short and extremely awkward pause as they both tried not to think about what had happened between them. "I know it's really unfair of me to ask this, but could you maybe do me a huge favor?" he asked.

"Sure, come in," said Hiro.

He ushered Shuichi inside and shut the door.

"What is it?"

"Could I stay here for a few days? It'd just be until Saturday, but Yu-, I mean," he stopped himself from saying Yuki's name as he thought it might upset Hiro, but now he had no where to go with his sentence and his words hung uncomfortably in the air until Hiro saved him.

"What did Yuki say?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"He said that I should stay away from him and lie low and that it might be a good idea for me to stay here. He seemed to think you could take care of me." He felt himself blush.

Hiro snorted. "Yeah right. Why would he want _me_ taking care of you? _I_ know you can't take care of yourself, but why this sudden concern? Are you getting hunted down or something?"

"Not sound melodramatic, but yeah, basically." He began to explain the whole "Hozuki situation" as Yuki had put it.

"Holy crap," said Hiro when Shuichi was done. "They're ready to kill you to get their daughter married off to Yuki?"

"Apparently."

"Damn."

"So can I stay here until it's all over?" asked Shuichi.

"Of course. What kind of friend do you think I am?" He smiled.

"Well, I just thought what with... everything," Shuichi mumbled.

"Forget it, Okay? It's the best thing to do now. People do stupid shit all the time and world keeps turning, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

"We've known each practically forever and we've done a _lot_ of stupid shit. If stupid shit stopped the world, we'd have done it by now." He smirked.

"You're probably right," Shuichi agreed.

"So K's gunna keep you covered, huh?"

"Yeah, but I have no idea what Yuki's going to have him do, or, more accurately, what he's going to do of his own accord. I'm just supposed to stay out of it until Saturday or probably Sunday, whenever it's over."

"Well, I just hope it all works out Okay," said Hiro with a slight sigh.

"Yuki's gotten through a lot worse," Shuichi said with a note of sadness.

Hiro gave him a slightly quizzical look. Shuichi had never told him what he had learned in New York about Yuki's past.

"He is kinda cute in a weird sorta way," mused Hiro.

Shuichi gave him a "what???" look.

"I mean, the way he acts all cold and pretends he doesn't care, but really he'll do anything for you, it's cute," Hiro explained.

"Yeah, I guess it is," said Shuichi slightly dreamily.

--

All went well until very early Saturday.

For the past few days Hiro and Shuichi had gone to work and K and Hiro kept all four eyes between them glued on Shuichi. Bad Luck had worked on their music and no one had seemed to notice anything was wrong, well almost.

Tohma kept showing his girly face whenever he got the chance. On Friday, Shuichi finally cracked.

"_What_, Tohma-san?" Shuichi shouted when the N-G president interrupted the recording for their new song for the forth time that day.

Hiro rolled his eyes at his irate friend, but didn't tell him off because he wanted to exactly the same thing.

"Just checking in the on recording, Shindou-san. How is it going?" he asked with a forced-looking smile.

"It _was_ going just fine," snarled Shuichi.

"That's good," he said, either missing or ignored Shuichi's use and emphases on the past tense.

"Seen Eiri-san lately, Tohma-san?" asked K abruptly.

"No, no I haven't, K-san," replied Tohma, clearly unsettled.

"I hear he should be officially announcing his engagement any day now, is that true?" asked K causally.

"He hasn't disgusted it with me," said Tohma in a clipped voice.

"Really?" asked K, stretching out the vowel with sarcasm.

"Yes, really."

"I heard the Hozuki family is giving some kind of ball tomorrow, maybe he'll ask her formally then." K seemed to be enjoying playing with Tohma.

"Maybe. Well, I'll let you get back to your recording," said Tohma quickly before taking his leave.

"What was that all about?" asked Suguru.

"You _don't_ want to know," said K.

Suguru nodded. K's opinion was gun-enforced law.

Bad Luck continued work on the song. They stayed late; K kept them there until they had each track of the song recorded perfectly. It was about four in the morning when they were finally allowed to go.

"At least we don't have to come in tomorrow," said Hiro with a yawn.

"You mean today?" Shuichi asked. "At least we got it all gone."

"Great work, wasn't it? That song is gunna rock. Your best lyrics yet, I'd say."

"You think so? Took me long enough – practically the whole tour," Shuichi said as he shoved the helmet onto his head and prepared to climb onto to back on Hiro's bike.

"They're great," said Hiro, checking that Shuichi had a good hold on him before kicking the engine into life.

The new song was very different from Bad Luck's previous songs. Its lyrics were heavier and its beat much slower–not a ballad, but certainly more artsy. Suguru was thrilled with it; he'd been clamoring for Bad Luck to be more serious since he joined. The music was simple, but beautiful; it featured Hiro on the acoustic guitar with a minimal, but elegant melody on the keyboard weaved in. The lyrics had undoubtedly stemmed from Shuichi's longing to be with Yuki again while he had been in America and they were touching and effective. The song was called "Half a Day" and focused on how the singer was half a day behind his lover who was half the world away.

"You mind if I stop at the grocery?" asked Hiro.

"Nope, it's your bike after all."

Hiro pulled up at the curb and hoped off his bike. He chained it quickly to the parking meter, which still had fifteen minutes on it and, after clipping their helmets to the bike, the two band members headed into the large, twenty-four hour store.

It didn't even take five minutes for Shuichi to get lost. He had just been looking at different kinds of pocky and he had turned around and Hiro had been gone.

Shuichi looked around and tried not to panic. This was exactly the kind of thing Yuki had wanted not to happen. _What had Hiro said he was going to get?_ He couldn't remember. He started to look for his friend. He couldn't have gotten far; he'd only been gone a few moments, hadn't he?

"Are you lost?" asked a smiling woman.

"No," said Shuichi quickly, feeling suddenly like a little kid.

"Really?" she asked, pulling out the vowel just as K had done earlier.

"Yes, excuse me." He turned to make an escape.

"I can't do that," she said.

"What?" asked Shuichi, thrown.

"I can't excuse you," she said, still smiling.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but-"

"My mistress wants you to come with me," she said, "and that is exactly what you're going to do."

Shuichi froze, truly scared now.

"Yūko Hozuki," he whispered. "She's your mistress, isn't she?"

The women's smile widened and he knew he was right.

Shuichi took a deep breath, filling his singer's lung with air in preparation to scream Hiro's name.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said the woman sweetly, nodding at something behind Shuichi.

He spun round and found himself staring at a very large and terrifying man. The man leered at Shuichi who gulped as he turned back to the woman.

"That's right, just come with me," said the woman.

Shuichi didn't move.

"Do you really want my friend to find your friend?" she asked.

This was indeed exactly what Yuki had feared. If he went with the woman the Hozuki family would have something to hold over Yuki and he's have to marry Yūko. If he yelled or tried to get away, the man would find Hiro and hurt him – at best. (If he didn't go with them they'd just make him.) Shuichi swallowed. He loved Yuki more than anything, but Hiro was his best friend and going with them did seem to be the safest option. He nodded.

"Good boy."

The two escorted Shuichi out of the store and into a waiting black limo. Once inside the woman nodded slightly to the man who sprung with surprising agility considering his size and the lack of space in the back of the car. He soon had Shuichi pinned and the woman gagged him and tied his hands. The man let him go and the women considered him from a moment. Shuichi stared back at her with wild, frightened eyes.

"I don't want to look at him," she decreed, turning away.

The man gave a low, grunting laugh and roughly shoved a black bag over Shuichi's head.

Acting on pure instinct, the singer began to struggle and thrush about. There was something about the loss of his vision that made him crack and give in to the animal reaction to the situation. His breathing was rapid and his movements desperate. However, they were only allowed to continue for a few moments.

It only took the man one good blow to knock Shuichi out.

--

**So, am I starting to redeem myself after not having updated for ages? **


	13. Chapter 13

"Shindou-kun?" purred a woman somewhere over Shuichi's head.

The singer struggled for a moment and then forced his eyes open, which did him no good at all. He still couldn't see a thing. He tried to raise his hands to his eyes to find out what was wrong with them, but discovered he couldn't do that either. Then he remembered. He didn't remember a lot; he guessed he'd been unconscious for quite a while, but he remembered enough.

"Yūko Hozuki," he whispered venomously, but his voice was lost in the gag.

"If you're not completely stupid, you'll know who I am and where you are, but, as you seem to be completely stupid, I'll let you in on the secret. I am Yūko Hozuki and you are in a small, basement room in my family's home," she said, confirming his suspicions.

"I know," he tried to snarl.

"You're not very vocal, are you?" she mused. "Odd for a singer, don't you think?" She thought for a moment, "Can you even hear me?" she asked.

"Yes!" he tried to cry. Shuichi gave a defiant thrash with his arms to punctuate the unheard statement and got his point across.

"Oh of course, you're gagged. How could I have forgotten?" she purred.

Shuichi have a shrug that was as sarcastic as it is possible for a shrug to be.

"I would take it out, but then you'd be very noisy and annoying. I _hate_ noisy people." She seemed to enjoy this statement for a moment before continuing. "And I like having Eiri-kun's so-called lover tied up at my feet, completely helpless to my will, just like he's about to be."

The gag could not totally stifle Shuichi's growl of furry and hurt and self-loathing for letting this happen.

"Oh do be quiet," she snapped. "It's not like I'm going to _kill_ darling Eiri-kun, just break him, make him mine. I _hate_ free-spirited men."

_You don't know the first thing about Yuki!_ thought Shuichi furiously. _You can't break him. Nothing can. If anything could,_ he signed mentally, _it would have already._

She gave a slight laugh.

"Penny for you thoughts, Shindou-kun?"

He felt delicate hands at his own and recoiled.

"Hold still or I'm libel to cut you."

He froze.

The bindings on his wrists fell away and he felt something being shoved into his hands. He felt it and discovered it was a pad of paper and a pen.

"You even try to get up and you're dead," she said coolly and Shuichi distinctly heard the _click_ of a gun being cocked.

_There's one thing they have in common, a willingness to kill people._

"Now, Shindou-kun," she began with the air of a cop interrogating a prisoner (or maybe more like an evil-genius interrogating a captive cop). "How old are you?"

_19, almost 20_, Shuichi wrote. His birthday was in a few days in fact.

"So young," she mussed.

Shuichi waited for the next question. Now was not the time for snappy, written comebacks.

"Let's not beat about the bush, do you truly love Eiri-kun?"

_Yes,_ wrote Shuichi at once.

"My, your handwriting is awful, how do you even read your own lyrics?" she scoffed.

_You try writing blind,_ he scrawled.

"Don't get smart with me or I won't have anything to hold over Eiri-kun – at least nothing alive."

Again, Shuichi froze.

"Good boy. And does he love you?"

_This is it,_ thought Shuichi,_ this is my only chance to protect Yuki. If I say "no" maybe she won't tell him I'm here, maybe she'll let me go, probably not until after the ball, but if Yuki doesn't know she's got me, he'll say "no" to her, but Hiro's probably already told him I'm gone! What if they come looking for me?_ His thoughts were wild and fearful. _Calm down,_ he told himself. _There's nothing I can do about that now. Back to this probable I _can _do something about. If I say "yes" she'll tell Yuki I'm here, but I'll still be useful to her so she won't kill me and Yuki will know where I am and maybe he can save me or at least send K. No, what am I talking about? This is about saving Yuki, not me._

"Well?" she prompted. "You're hesitating. Are you trying to decide how best to answer me?"

Shuichi pressed the pen to the paper and took a deep breath, praying this was right.

_I don't know, _he wrote, telling the truth.

"What?" she whispered.

_Sometime he acts like he loves me and sometimes he acts like he hates me. He's never said he loves me and he has said he hates me more or less._ He was starting to veer slightly from the truth, but not much. _How can I tell? I don't think Yuki loves anyone anymore._

"What do you mean?" she snapped.

_Whether he tells his bride about his past is his choice._

"Tell me!"

_No._

"Do you want to die?" she snarled.

_Does it matter?_ He wasn't sure it did. Even if he could live without Yuki, which he doubted, it wouldn't be a life worth living.

"What did he do?" she screamed. "What happened?"

_The only thing I can say is what you should be able to see._

"Stop playing games with me!"

He felt the gun pushing into his side.

_He can kill people; it's in his eyes._

"And has he?" she breathed.

_If he hadn't, would it be in his eyes?_

"Why are you telling me this rubbish?"

_You can't break him._

"I have you; I can make him do whatever I want," she spit.

_You can't make him love you._

"I don't have to-not yet anyway. All I need is for him to ask me to marry him and I have you to make him do that." She sounded very pleased with herself.

_Why are you so sure he'll do anything for me?_

He knew he was throwing her off with his display of uncertainty in Yuki's affections. His idea seemed to be working, maybe.

"Why should I believe a thing you're telling me?" she demanded.

_Why would I lie?_ wrote Shuichi with as much melancholy as he could, which wasn't much as he could only use his hands and writing to show it.

"To protect him!" she screeched.

_How am I protecting him? I'm just telling you the way it is. I have nothing to gain anymore and you've already taken everything I had, so why would I lie?_

He knew she wouldn't pity him, but he might throw he off a bit more.

"Stop distracting me," she said curtly. "It's almost time for Eiri-kun to be here."

She stood up and moved away from him. He heard her set down the gun and pick something else up. There were a few, soft noises and a _click._

"Thanks for the photo-op, Shindou-kun," she said sweetly. "Oh, one more thing," she said. She moved back to him and retied his hands.

He heard her footsteps leaving and the door close behind her. He heard a final _click_ as she locked the door.

"I'll see you after the show," she called as her footsteps receded into nothing.

Over the next hour or so the sound in the house grew as the guesses arrived.

_If she really does hate noisy people, I can't imagine she's enjoying this much. But then again if she's parading Yuki around on a leash like a new dog, I bet she's having the time of her life. I wonder if she's shown him the picture yet._

He was so sick of waiting, sick of feeling so vulnerable, sick of being the bait, sick of knowing that any moment Yuki might ask that women to marry him, but never knowing if that moment had come yet.

There was a tap on the door.

Shuichi sat as bolt upright as he could with his hands tied.

"Shuichi?" whispered a worried, male voice.

Shuichi knew that voice.

"Hiro?" he tried to reply, but could make no sound.

"Shuichi?" whispered a second voice a little louder.

"K!" he tried to exclaim.

"Maybe she's moved him," suggested Hiro.

"No, she's been at the party whole time. Not letting Eiri-san out of her sight if you ask me," replied K.

"Maybe he can't answer," said Hiro in a frightened voice.

"Shuichi, if you're in there make whatever kind of noise you can," said K.

"But don't be too loud," added Hiro quickly.

Shuichi did the first thing that came to mind to make noise; he knocked his head against the wall behind him. It made his head spin, but he make himself heard.

"Shuichi!" cried Hiro in a whisper.

"Hold on, we're gunna get you out of there," said K.

"K! What are you-?"

"Shh!" K cut Hiro off. "One knock "yes," two knocks "no." Are you in line with the keyhole?" asked K.

Shuichi had no idea where the door was, let alone the keyhole, so he knocked on the floor with his bound hands three times.

"You don't know?" asked K.

_Knock._

"Ok. Well then, lie down as flat as you can."

Shuichi did so and knocked once when he was flat on the floor.

"K, you could _kill_ him!" hissed Hiro.

"I'm not going to kill him," said K with what sounded like a laugh.

There was an extremely muffled _bang_ followed by a huge _clatter_ and a _thwack_.

"That did the trick," said K happily.

The door opened. Apparently K had shot the lock clean off.

"Shuichi!" Hiro exclaimed in a hushed voice.

Shuichi felt Hiro and K untying him and the bag being pulled of his head.

He blinked in the light of the dim room that blinded him after the darkness of the bag.

"Oh my god, you're hurt," said Hiro as he removed the gag.

"Hiro! K! What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, of course," said Hiro as he helped Shuichi to his feet.

Shuichi raised an aching hand to his head and felt died blood from where the man had knocked him out.

"How do you feel?" asked Hiro.

"Not too bad. A little sore, but I'll be Okay," he said. "Where's Yuki? What's going on?"

"He's upstairs with that woman," said K. "When Hiro released you'd gone, the three of us figured out she must have gotten you somehow. Hiro and I snuck in here and found out where you were," he fingered a gun lovingly, "and came to get you. Yuki has the hard job. He had to trust us to get you back and play it cool upstairs. He wanted to come get you himself, but he has to stay with that woman so she won't suspect anything."

Shuichi's head was spinning and not just from the light.

"So what now?" he asked slowly.

"We sneak you back upstairs and you stop this engagement," said Hiro.

"That simple, huh?" asked Shuichi.

"Well, you've only got about," K checked his watch, "twenty-five minutes, maybe less."

"What?" Shuichi screeched. "I musta been here a lot longer than I thought. God, how long was I out?" He held a hand to his head.

"Let's get you cleaned up first, Okay?' said Hiro.

He ditched a backpack Shuichi hadn't noticed onto the floor and began pulling things out.

"Here," he said handing Shuichi some wet wipes. "Try to get some of that blood of your face."

While Shuichi cleaned up his face, K attacked his hair, covering the pink and dried blood with a black wig. Hiro produced a suit, shirt, tie, socks, and shoes from the bag and, in under ten minutes, Shuichi not only looked ready to attend the event upstairs, but he also looked nothing like himself.

"Ready?" asked Hiro.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Shuichi.

"Okay! Let's go," cried K.

K and Hiro escorted Shuichi upstairs and pushed him through a side door. Shuichi found himself on the edge of the ball.

The room was beyond huge. It was like something out of a fairy tale, strings of lights spiraled up large white columns and crystal chandelles bathed the ballroom in a warm glow. Men in tuxedos and women in floor-length gowns filled the room. There was a full orchestra on a stage at the front of the room, several bars along the walls, and waiters moving through the guests offering delicacies from around the world on silver trays. An elegant podium stood at the front of the stage. There were many couples dancing at the front of the room. Shuichi craned his neck and caught a glimpse of Yuki and Yūko among them.

_What am I supposed to do?_ thought Shuichi wildly. _Just run up there and pull them apart? No, that's not right. I know that's not right, but what is right? Maybe I'll just know. I hope so._

He started to work his way through the crowd. He'd only ever seen this many people in the same room at concerts before. It was crazy! No one looked twice at him as he moved slowly towards the dancers. When he reached the edge of the dance floor, he skulked just out of site of the couples and waited.

He looked up and saw K leaning causally against a column on a balcony that ran around the room. He caught Shuichi's eye and winked, nodded towards the stage. Shuichi looked at the orchestra and saw Hiro and, to his shock, Suguru, slipping carefully into the group, dressed in tuxes just like the rest. _At least I'm not alone._ The song ended and there was a change in the lights. The dancing stopped and a hush feel over the room as the attention of every person there was drawn to the stage.

Yūko was leading Yuki up onto the stage and into a gently defused spotlight. She tapped the mic on the podium and cleared her throat with a horribly girly little cough.

"I'm sure all of you have your little suspicions about why this wonderful ball is being held by my family for all of you and I think it is time those suspicions were confirmed." She smiled at Yuki and Shuichi felt heat rising in his face.

Yuki looked pale, but very composed. Shuichi saw his eyes sweep the crowd. _Is he looking for me?_

"Eiri-kun, as the guest of honor, I thought you might to like say something to, uh, all these lovely people." She stepped aside.

Yuki moved up the podium and there was a polite smattering of applause.

"Thank you, Hozuki-san, and thank you to the whole Hozuki family. I think they deserve a round of applause for putting on this spectacular ball for everyone." More clapping followed this little suggestion. "I think Hozuki-san went a little far in calling me the guest of honor for I believe that tonight should be all about her."

Yūko smiled and Shuichi's stomach turned over horribly.

"I know you are all expecting, uh, something and I suppose it's about time I delivered."

Shuichi edged closer to the stage, finding his way to the stairs off to the left.

Yuki stepped away from the podium and reaching inside his jacket, pulling out a small, black velvet box.

Yūko faked a gasp of surprise.

"Oh Eiri-kun!" she cried.

_He's really ready to do. He's really going to ask her. To save me?_

Yuki Eiri took a deep breath and was interrupted by a young man from the orchestra with long, red-brown hair.

"Sir? Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Hiro pointedly.

Yuki covered his surprise with ease.

"What is it?" he asked coolly.

"A love song for your beloved?" prompted Hiro. "We have quite an accomplished singer here for you to, uh, set the mood."

"Ah of course! I was carried away it slipped my mind. Please, go ahead." He took Yūko's hand and stepped off to one side. She looked extremely put out as he slipped the box back into his jacket. "Humor me, love," he whispered. "I want this to be perfect."

She gave a girly giggle and smiled.

"Of course."

Hiro took the mic.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I would like to present to you a wonderful singer who is here to serenade these two on this very, very special night." He gestured to Shuichi with a sweep of his arm.

Shuichi pointed to himself and mouthed "me?" to Hiro who nodded.

Shuichi climbed the stairs and crossed to Hiro who handed him the mic off of the podium.

"Here's your shot," he whispered as he returned to his guitar. "Don't miss."

Shuichi cleared his throat and tried not to look at Yuki – not just yet.

"Good evening everyone, ladies, gentlemen, and, most importantly tonight, lovers," said Shuichi, mimicking Hiro's air of jovial emcee. "We'd like to perform a new song for you tonight, but one that we think is most, uh, fitting for the, uh, circumstances. It's called "Half a Day" and it's for," he paused and almost lost his fragile composure, "anyone who understands."

There was a polite, if somewhat confused round of applause from the crowd.

Hiro strummed the opening chords of their new song and Suguru began to weave in his part on the piano.

Shuichi knew this was right. He knew this was what he was supposed to do. This felt right. _Yes, this is how I'm supposed to tell him._

Shuichi opened his mouth and let the words soar out.

.

_"So here I am again, staring at the moon_

_Dreaming_

_It's the same moon that shines on you_

_But not now_

_Not now_

_._

_As I try to fall asleep_

_So late, it's early_

_Half a day away_

_You've been up for hours_

_Who are you waiting for tonight?_

_._

_Half a day_

_That's all it takes_

_A million miles_

_And you're a million words away_

_If I could only reach you now_

_But you're half a day away_

_._

_I think back on when you_

_Were close_

_And I wonder if it were ever so_

_Was I ever in your arms?_

_Did I ever touch your soul?_

_._

_Maybe it was all a dream_

_You were never all that close_

_Never within my gasp_

_The distance hasn't really_

_Changed_

_._

_Half a day_

_That's all it takes_

_A million miles_

_And you're a million words away_

_If I could only reach you now_

_But you're half a day away_

_._

_But now, but now_

_Here I am half a day behind you_

_Just like I always was_

_Never able to keep up_

_And now you're "good morning"_

_Is my "good night"_

_Night and day are black and white_

_Once so close and yet so far_

_Now the distance is real_

_._

_Half a day_

_That's all it takes_

_A million miles_

_And you're a million words away_

_If I could only reach you now_

_But you're half a day away_

_._

_And now I'm standing in the sun_

_Hearing the crowd shout my name_

_It's the same sun the lights your eyes_

_But not now_

_Not now_

_._

_Half a day_

_That's all it takes_

_A million miles_

_And you're a million words away_

_If I could only reach you now_

_._

_Half a day_

_That's all it takes_

_A million miles_

_And you're a million words away_

_If I could only reach you now_

_But you're half a day away_

_Half a day away_

_Half a day_

_Half a day"_

_._

Shuichi finished his song and felt drained.

Somehow his audience knew not the clap, not to break the moment.

He looked over at Yuki who was staring at him, lips slightly parted, eyes full of pain.

"Thank you," said Shuichi quietly as he turned to go.

"Shuichi," breathed Yuki.

"What?" gasped Yūko.

Shuichi pulled of the wig and both Yūko and the crowd gasped. There was still dried blood in his pink hair, but he was very clearly himself.

"You! Shuichi Shindou!" Yūko screeched.

"Yuki. Yuki, you can't. You can't," said Shuichi in a voice of pain and sorrow.

"He's mine, you stupid brat!"

Shuichi bristled. _How dare _she_ call me that? That's Yuki's name for me!_

"He's not anybody's," said Shuichi his voice even, but full of fire. "I told you, you couldn't break him and you can't. No one can."

"You can't take him from me!" Her voice was rising in volume and pitch every time she spoke. She clung to Yuki's arm. It looked painful.

"You never had him to begin with. The only person who could have ever claimed Yuki as their own is dead," said Shuichi, his voice as calm as hers was frantic. "Am I right, Yuki?" he asked.

Yuki nodded.

"No, he's mine! He's mine!"

"Stop making a scene. Shuichi's right," said Yuki in a frosty and business-like voice.

"Yuki," whispered Shuichi.

"I'm sorry, Shuichi, this is all my fault," said Yuki with unmistakable sadness in his eyes. He pushed Yūko off his arm and stepped to Shuichi. He touched the blood clotted in the singer's hair. "All my fault."

"Eiri-kun!" cried Yūko, furious at being ignored.

"Shut up," said Yuki.

She stared open-mouthed at him. Clearly no one had ever dared to tell her to shut up before.

"Come on Shuichi, let's go home," said Yuki.

"Home," whispered Shuichi. He was starting to feel light-headed again. Now that the adrenalin rush from having to save Yuki and then from singing was gone, his body was finally getting around to reacting to have been knocked out and loosing a lot of blood. It was hot in the massive room and the suit didn't help. Shuichi's vision flickered and he felt himself swaying. He saw Yuki take a quick step towards him before his knees gave way at last. Shuichi was unconscious before he hit the floor.

--

**Ha! Now we're getting somewhere. I finally got around the climax. Now all I gotta do it wrap this baby up and it's done. I'm sorry about the song. I just wrote as poetry, but, as much as I'd like to be, I'm no poet, so forgive me for that one and imagine that it's what it needs to be for the story. Also sorry about the random p****eriods ** in the song; they're for spacing.


	14. Chapter 14

"Wha-?" asked Shuichi groggily as he came round. He forced his eyes open and saw darkness again. _Oh crap, not the bag again_. Then a pale shape, the moon maybe, came into view. No, it wasn't the moon, but he was outside; he could feel a cold breeze on his skin. The pale shape became a face. A pale face with blond hair and a worried expression. "Yuki," he breathed.

"Shuichi, you're awake," he said with a slight sigh of relief.

Shuichi realized why he was looking up at the sky. Yuki was holding him like a child. He was in Yuki's arms, pressed to the older man's chest, one strong arm under his knees, the other supporting his shoulders.

"What happened?" Shuichi whispered.

"It's all over; it's all Okay."

"Hiro and K?"

"Fine, they went off home together," said Yuki.

"Toge-?" asked Shuichi, his wooziness slurring away the end of the word.

"Don't worry about it. We're going home now; we're almost to my car." His voice was soothing and Shuichi felt his eyes drifting shut again. "Shuichi!" The voice was sharp and almost fearful now.

"Eh?" he mumbled.

"Nothing," muttered Yuki.

Shuichi felt himself being placed in the back of a car and heard the door being closed. Another door opened and closed. A seat belt clicked and the engine revved. The car moved off.

Shuichi felt himself drifting in and out of consciousness on the drive and then they were in Yuki's parking garage. He was lifted back out of the back of the car. He saw the flickering of the florescent lights and cringed.

"What is it?" asked Yuki.

It took Shuichi a moment to realize why the place was upsetting him.

"ASK," he breathed when he remembered.

"Ah," said Yuki in a low voice.

They rode up in the elevator to Yuki's apartment in silence and when Yuki carried Shuichi into the dark room the silence felt somehow safe. Yuki laid him down on the sofa and left him, but returned in moments with a blanket.

"Just sleep it off, Okay?" he said quietly.

"Hiro?" Shuichi asked blurrily.

"Tomorrow," said Yuki sternly. "I'll tell you everything when you wake you and we can deal with anything that needs to be dealt with then."

"'Kay."

"I'm going to call Hiro and tell him you're alright. Get some sleep."

_Like I can do anything else,_ Shuichi thought before loosing consciousness again.

If he had been more with it, Shuichi would have thought how considerate and un-Yuki-like calling Hiro was. It would have pleased him, but he was not with it enough to process everything Yuki said.

The next morning, Shuichi felt sort of like he had a hangover only most of his headache was in one part of his head.

"How do you feel?" asked Yuki, startling Shuichi.

"Eh? Not so bad," he said smiling slightly.

Yuki was getting up from where he'd been sitting on the floor with his back against the sofa that Shuichi had been sleeping on.

"My head hurts here," Shuichi said, raising his hand to the place and feeling clotted blood. "Ah, that would be why."

"Yeah, you might want to get that look at. Anything else?"

"You're so concerned," noted Shuichi.

"Would you rather I wasn't?" asked Yuki coolly.

"No," said Shuichi dreamily.

"Well then, what else is wrong with you?"

"Well," said Shuichi sitting up slowly and taking a quick inventory of his body. "I'm exhausted, I'm dizzy, I feel pretty weak, but I couldn't be happier." He gazed blissfully at Yuki for a long moment. "Should I call Hiro?" he asked randomly.

"That would probably make him happy."

Shuichi fumbled for his phone, but he was still in the outfit Hiro had put him in and, as far as he knew, Hiro had his other pants and therefore his phone.

"Here," said Yuki, smirking and handing Shuichi his phone.

"Thanks," Shuichi muttered, blushing slightly as he dialed Hiro's number.

"Yuki-san?" asked Hiro after only the first ring. There was fear in his voice. Clearly he thought Yuki was calling to tell him that Shuichi had taken a turn for the worse.

"Hiro, it's me," said Shuichi.

"Shuichi!"

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Ow! What about you?"

"You don't sound fine," said Shuichi as sternly as he could.

"I just, uh, sat on something." Shuichi could hear low laughter in the background.

"Who's there? Where are you?" he asked.

"You still haven't answered my question," said Hiro quickly. Shuichi heard scratching sounds as if Hiro were covering the mouthpiece to say something to whomever he was with.

"I'm alright, a little dizzy, really tried, but I'll be fine. I mean, my hair's still full of blood, but that'll come out." He shrugged.

"Oh Shuichi, ever the optimist."

"What? You don't think it'll come out?" asked Shuichi confused.

"Shut up," Hiro snapped in annoyance.

"What did I-?" began Shuichi in a hurt voice.

"Not you, Shuichi, sorry. Listen, I've gotta run, but I'm glad you're feeling better. Take care of yourself, Okay?"

"Okay, I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll swing by and see you if I can."

"Cool and bring me my pants, would you?" asked Shuichi as he remembered why he didn't have his phone.

"Do you know how dirty that-?"

"Hiro! You and your sick mind! My _phone_ is my pants' pocket, Okay? Just bring my me stuff from last night or whenever that was."

"Sure, sure, I'll see you, Shuichi."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye."

Shuichi handed Yuki back his phone.

"He says he might come by with my stuff later," said Shuichi. "I wonder who he was with."

Yuki cocked an eyebrow as if to say "don't you know?" but said nothing.

"So what happened last night after I passed out?" asked Shuichi.

"Well, I picked you up and told Yūko I was taking you home and that if she or anyone remotely connected to her ever got near you again I would personally see to it that they would _regret_ it." Shuichi saw the flash of death in Yuki's eyes and had to suppress a shudder. "I started to go and, of course, she tried to stop me, I told her that if she knew what was good for her, she'd find some docile, willess worm and marry him because I intended never to see her again. Then I gave her back her stupid ring, which she had given to me to give to her, confusing, yes I know," he said at the look on Shuichi's face, "and then I got you out of there."

"What about Hiro and K and Suguru?" asked Shuichi.

"Hiro and K went off together, I guess the kid just slipped out," said Yuki with a shrug.

"Hiro and K?" asked Shuichi, not sure what Yuki was implying or if he even wanted to know.

Yuki shrugged.

"That would explain who he was with..."

Shuichi knew there was still one lose end and it was driving him mad. What was it? Then it hit him.

"What about Tohma?" he said with more venom in his voice then Yuki had ever heard there before.

"What about him?" asked Yuki, sounding ever so slightly uncomfortable.

"This is all _his_ fault," pressed Shuichi, remembering Yuki's words from the night before. "Are you just gunna let him off the hook?"

"Well, I thought not screwing up your record deal might be a nice welcome home present."

"You know the only reason he hasn't ditched us is you!"

"Are you complaining?" asked Yuki sharply.

"No," mumbled Shuichi.

"Look, I'll, uh, _talk_ to him, alright?" said Yuki.

"Okay."

"You should probably eat something and then we can get your head looked at."

"Okay," said Shuichi again, basking in Yuki's sudden affection. _Maybe I should get kidnapped and hurt more often, it seems to have a good effect on him,_ mussed Shuichi. _But then again, he never used to care when I got hurt. And I'm _always_ getting hurt. Stupid walls!_

--

**This is very OOC for Yuki, but something good needed to happen to poor Shu-kun.**


	15. Chapter 15

Tohma stood in his office feeling disgruntled. He'd thought he'd come up with the perfect plan to get Eiri away from that Shuichi Shindou kid. It should have all gone fine and married people had affairs all the time right? Eiri could have been his, but of course, that stupid brat had messed it all up. How he yearned to kick that pathetic, so-called "lyricist" and his stupid band out of N-G, but their newest song "Half a Day" was shooting up all the charts and keeping Shindou close kept Eiri close.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Tohma turned around and found himself face-to-face with K and, more importantly, one of his guns.

"K-san," he said taking a quick step back.

"I just had a quick question about Bad Luck," K said closing the door behind himself. "And about Shindou-kun."

"Ah."

"Yeah."

"Well, K-san, with Bad Luck doing so well I was going to, uh, up their priority in, uh, getting them gigs and, uh, such," said Tohma uncomfortably.

"And Shindou-kun?" asked K.

"Well, he seems to be, uh, recovering nicely. How did he hurt his head again?" Tohma gave an extremely nervous and shrill laugh.

"Why you little-! You know _exactly_ how he hurt his-!" K began as he advanced on a cowering Tohma with his gun raised.

"K-san!" snapped a voice. "That won't be necessary."

"Eiri-san!" cried Tohma in misguided relief.

"_I'll_ deal with him, thank you," said Yuki to K.

"Figured you'd show up," K said with a wicked smirk. "I'll let you take it from here." With a smile and a wave of his gun, K left.

"Eiri-san, please listen," began Tohma fearfully.

Death was gleaming in Yuki's eyes as a glared at his bother-in-law.

"I've let you get away with a lot, Tohma, a whole lot, and this is how you repay me? You _know_ he could have died."

"What ever do you mean, Eiri-san?" asked Tohma in a shaking voice.

"Well, let's see. I've let you hit on me since I was a little kid; I've never told my sister, who, for some godforsaken reason, I didn't stop you from marrying, that you'd rather be with me than with her; I've let you arrange my life more than my own parents do; I've let you throw all kinds of abuse on Shuichi; and never once, not _once_ have I really tried to stop you from getting your way. Well guess what, Tohma? I'm not a little kid anymore and you're not my father nor are you my love interest so I suggest that you stay away from me and from Shuichi unless you want to end up like the last over-aggressive lover I had."

"Would that be Shuichi?" asked Tohma coldly.

For a spilt second Yuki just stared at him in horror. Tohma had, in four short words, summed up all his fears about his relationship with Shuichi by insinuating that the relationship was somehow detrimental to his lover, that it would go the same way as his connection with Yuki had so long ago. And he'd thought Tohma had gone too far before.

In two steps Yuki was feet from Tohma and, before the other man could even react, he was sprawled across his own desk, thrown there by the force of Yuki's punch, which had caught him squarely on his cheekbone, his knuckles grating across Tohma's bloodless skin to smash into his nose.

Tohma remained there for a long moment without moving while Yuki stared at him. Then he shakily pushed himself up onto an elbow and raised his free hand to his nose, pulling away his bloody fingertips for examination. Yuki took another few steps forward causing Tohma to shrink away as much as he could, but all Yuki did was slowly and methodically wipe Tohma's blood from his hand onto the older man's pants. Then he turned and walked to the door.

"Eiri-san," Tohma called in a pleading voice.

Yuki stopped and looked back with one hand on the doorknob.

"What?" he asked sarcastically. What could that pathetic excuse for a human being _possibly_ say to defend himself?

"You know I saved you."

It was true and Yuki knew it. He had to struggled not to fall back into the memory of that night so long ago in that horrible old New York apartment with those men, with Yuki...

"That's all in the past," said Yuki sharply, pulling himself back to the present. "Now, you're only hurting me and the person I love."

"I'm trying to protect you from him. You know he's hurting you!" cried Tohma, pushing himself to his feet. Tohma thought that Yuki's knack for self-preservation might be triggered by memories of what might be thought of as the "hospital incident," but he was wrong.

"I don't need your protection anymore," snarled Yuki. "I love Shuichi and nothing you can say or do is going to change that," he told Tohma, looking him straight in the eye.

"Eiri-san, wait!"

But Yuki was already out the door and walking down the hall.

If Tohma had had any sense, he would have left it at that, however he ran after Yuki.

"Eiri-san!" he called again, paying no mind to the fact that half the management of N-G was standing up in their cubicles and poking their heads of the their offices to watch him sprint wildly down the hall nor did he notice that several bands, including ASK and Bad Luck, had arrived outside his office for meetings he hadn't known he'd had.

Yuki just kept walking, striding past Shuichi, Hiro, Suguru, the ASK guys, and the N-G management staff to the elevators.

"Yuki?" asked a confused Shuichi whose suspicion that the furious voice in Tohma' office had been his lover's was confirmed.

"Leave it," muttered Hiro.

"Eiri-san, come on! Can't we at least discuss-?" cried Tohma reaching out for Yuki's shoulder as he caught up with him.

Yuki spun round and once again Tohma staggered backwards, this time clutching his jaw.

Bad Luck, ASK, and N-G's management stood in stunned silence as their girly-looking leader stared at Yuki with horrified and pained puppy-eyes and Yuki glared back with a look that told Tohma he was lucky to still have his life after all the shit he'd given him.

Yuki's eyes flicked off Tohma's bloody face and fell on Shuichi who wore the same look of wide-eyed shock with an ever so faint tint of "hell yeah!" behind it as the rest of the people in the room. Yuki's gaze softened slightly.

"Come on, let's go home. I don't think Tohma's going to be having any meetings today," he said coolly.

Shuichi stood frozen for a moment and then, at a nudge in the ribs from Hiro, moved obediently off after his lover into one of the elevators.

Silence filled the small space for the first few floors until Shuichi had found his voice and the courage to speak.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"Don't say that," said Yuki sharply.

Silence fell on them again like thick smoke. Yuki was lost in the memory of Tohma's words. _"Would that be Shuichi?"_ The words echoed through his mind. _No, no. This isn't like that. This is nothing like that. I'm going to protect Shuichi; I'm never going to hurt him. _He gave a barely perceptible sigh. _But I guess it's too late to say that. I've already hurt him so much. Not physically, but maybe Tohma's right, maybe this is just as bad. If I didn't know how much it would hurt him, I'd stop this right now before I hurt him even more, but it is really too late-for both of us. But I could take. He couldn't. God, I've hurt him so much._

"You're not going to hurt me," said Shuichi in a soft voice without looking at Yuki. "You might say mean stuff, but the only way you could really hurt me would be to walk away. So that's all I ask, that you don't walk away."

"Shuichi," whisper Yuki. _How the hell do you read me like that?_

Shuichi looked up in time to see that Yuki had somehow moved so he was only inches away. _Does he have some kind of weird elevator fetish? _wondered Shuichi as the older man moved in to kiss him. Not that Shuichi minded. He had his Yuki back and that was all that mattered.

The elevator doors slide open, revealing the couple to the lobby of the N-G building. Without missing a beat or even breaking their kiss, Yuki reached out, hit a button and the doors slid closed again.

--

**Ok people, that's a wrap! Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed this thing. And if you're wondering about the K/Hiro thing I just kinda threw that in there because I felt bad for the poor guy (Hiro, not K). I'm not really into the pairing (I don't particularly feel the need to pair Hiro with anyone), but I knew it would make some people happy. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it; personally I'm really glad to be done and maybe just wrote some shorter, lighter stuff for a while, but I don't know how long that'll last. I'm sure some of you have noticed I like my epic sagas.**

**Until then, peace, guys! –lux-light-hell-**


End file.
